Rebel in Hidden High School 2
by AkumaNoDanna
Summary: Sequel to SasoDei RiHHS. A new Iwaga has entered HHS, ready to leave her own footprints in the school history. A year has passed, since they last saw each other, but now the Iwaga twins reunite. Unforeseen changes ought to stop the history repeating.
1. Chapter 1

**Happy birthday CookieDarkness! ^o^ This is your present, now you'd better review, 'kay ? xD**

****_While writing this a few months back, I drew a picture of Konan the way I saw her in this story (I'm not a good artist or anything, just letting you know). If anyone would be interested in seeing it, tell me in the reviews and I'll add it to my profile._

_Btw, if you're on your mobile/iPod, scroll ALL the way down, there's an a/n after the 'to be continued'._

_I'll try to update every week, but no guarantee._

_I hope you'll enjoy this ^^_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p>Autumn and school had started once again. Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu and Tobi had all graduated, laughing at the three other members of the Akatsuki, who still had senior year to survive. It was the beginning of September, when the gang decided to spend the night at a 24-hour amusement park.<p>

"Pein, c'mon!" Sasori yelled, Deidara clinging to his arm, as they were about to go to the haunted house.

"No, go on without me!" Pein shouted back. "I'll go get a drink, I'm thirsty."

"Suit yourself!" Sasori said, and waved at him as they disappeared into the building.

Pein smiled at them and nodded, starting to walk towards the park's cafe. He kept his gaze down and therefore didn't notice someone running towards him, before they'd already collided. Pein almost fell over, but managed to keep his balance and looked at his attacker. A blue-haired girl, about his age, was sitting on the ground and glaring at him, food all over her shirt.

"Oh, sorry," Pein apologized, giving her his gentleman-smile, although he knew the girl was the one who had run into him. He extended his hand to help the girl up, but that only seemed to irk her even further. She looked at Pein's hand with disgust and then shifted her gaze back to the boy's face. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?" Pein offered, still holding his hand out. Deep inside he wondered if the girl was lesbian.

"Yeah, 3000 yens for a new shirt, bastard," she hissed as a response and got up. The girl walked away with grace, leaving the stunned boy just standing there, his arm still reaching out.

The next day at school, Sasori and Deidara were almost rolling on the floor in laughter after Pein had told them what had happened.

"Ever thought about retiring, playboy?" Deidara asked, causing the calmed down Sasori to burst out laughing again. Pein muttered something unclear and rolled his eyes, turning around to face the blackboard. He wanted to slam his head against his table for telling those two, but decided against it, since he still had a reputation to keep up in the school.

The bell rang, forcing Deidara and Sasori to settle down and sit down behind their table next to Pein's. Sasori was still chuckling when the teacher entered the classroom, a short-haired girl following him.

"Morning, class," Iruka said, smiling widely like it was his birthday. "As you can see, we have a new student."

Both Deidara and Pein were staring at the girl, open-mouthed, unlike Sasori, who looked like he really didn't give a fuck. But he must've been the only one in the class.

The girl was wearing black platform boots, fishnet leggings and a black checkered anarchy skirt just long enough to cover everything, but short enough to still keep things interesting; with a belt and a buckle in the shape of two letters - KI.

There was a black basque with purple lace covering her chest and stomach and a silver cross necklace around her neck. Her hair was cut short and blue; she was wearing a black eyeliner and ultramarine eye shadow and had a lip piercing in addition to an eyebrow piercing.

"That's the girl that ran into me yesterday," Pein whispered, making his comrades look at him in surprise.

"You ruined my sister's shirt?" Deidara hissed, lowly enough so the teacher wouldn't hear him. "Bastard!"

"That's what she said," Pein replied truthfully, as the three of them turned their gazes back to the girl standing in front of the classroom. Even Sasori was interested now. The girl just kept looking at the teacher, hands behind her back, listening to his blabbering with a polite expression on her face. After five seconds, both of the redheads snapped.

"Your _sister?" _

_Will you shut up already, you moron, and just let me introduce myself? _the girl thought in her head, not letting it show on her face though. Out of habit, she started playing with her tongue piercing, holding it between her teeth, when Iruka finally gave her the permission to speak.

"Hello," she said, turning to face the class. "I'm Konan Iwaga."

Whispering began as everybody recognized her surname. Konan held back the urge to roll her eyes and just smiled, baring her white teeth, answering before anyone could form the question.

"Yes, I'm Deidara's twin sister." She looked at the teacher hesitatingly, who had to remind himself not to stare. "I don't know what else to say," Konan said in her most angelic voice, putting on an innocent face only her brother could see through.

"W-well then," Iruka slurred, obviously finding it difficult to concentrate. "A-any questions class?"

Numerous hands shot up and the teacher picked one of the students.

"Are you single?" a redheaded boy with many piercings asked, causing the annoying whispering to begin again, this time even louder than before. Konan looked at the boy and instantly recognized him from the day before.

_Nagato Yogen, _Konan thought_. A member of the Akatsuki. 18 years old, born on September 19 in Japan. Blood type A. Mother is an Irish doctor and father a Japanese writer, who owns a tattoo parlor. No siblings. Single. Nicknamed Pein for breaking so many girls' hearts in this school people have lost count. _Yes, Konan had done her homework. _Status, _she thought, holding back a smirk; _going down._

"Yes," she said with a charming smile, making the boy doubt if it really was the same girl he had met a day ago.

"Are you a chick?" a blonde boy yelled from the spot. _Naruto Uzumaki, _Konan remembered from her little research. "Because, ya know, the last hot chick that walked in here turned out-"

He was cut off by a spitball in his face, shot by the redhead sitting next to Deidara, Konan's brother. _Sasori Akasuna. _

"Yes, I'm a girl," she replied politely. "And yes, I'm straight," she answered, once again, in advance, reading the question off the faces of so many students in the class. There was cheering at the back of the class.

Deidara and Sasori shared a look that clearly stated they were both having a déjà vu, even though their thoughts differed a little. In Sasori's case it was – another Iwaga, hotness that everybody wants to screw and the same questions from the crowd. In Deidara's case, however, it was – another Iwaga, glowing like gold on the outside, freezing as ice on the inside; eyes set on a goal.

Even though Deidara knew his sister better than himself, he had no idea what her goal might've been. But he was sure to find out soon enough, and the only thing left to do then, would be to watch the show.

Deidara and Sasori both looked in Pein's direction when they heard him chuckle.

"She's not gonna last a week," he mumbled, keeping an eye contact with the smiling new girl. Deidara raised his eyebrows as Sasori rolled his eyes and sighed, seeming annoyed at his friend's old habits.

"Okay, so, since there are no more questions," Iruka said, ignoring the rest of the raised hands. "Why don't you go and sit down, Konan?"

The girl turned to him, nodded, and went straight to the free seat next to Pein, ignoring all the other free seats in the class. Many students in the class gasped in surprise.

"Hello, Nagato," she greeted the boy as if they'd known each other for ages already. "Sasori, Dei," she nodded at the couple sitting next to Pein, giving them a warm smile. The two redheads were stunned into a frozen state, while the blond didn't look the slightest bit surprised. _Of course she knew their names and Pein's real name, _Deidara thought, rolling his eyes at his show-off sister. _She probably even knows in which hospital their parents were born in._

They didn't have any more opportunities to chat during the class, but plenty for Pein to keep glancing at the girl when he thought she wasn't looking. What he didn't know was that Konan was perfectly aware of his every movement. The technique of seeing through her eyelashes when her eyes seem to be closed had been the basics of her training. Literally, a child's play.

Right when the bell rang, Pein sighed in relief and turned to face Konan. He was about to open his mouth, when, to his supreme annoyance, Sakura was already by his deskmate's side, greeting her with a wide and friendly smile.

"Tsunade told me you haven't seen your room yet," the pink haired girl said, oblivious of the death glare coming from behind the blue-haired girl.

Konan returned the smile lightheartedly and nodded. "Yes, I'm dying to see it."

She waved the boys goodbye and followed Sakura out of the classroom. Pein hadn't even had the chance to spill one single word. What the fuck? To any other guy, this kind of ignorance coming from a hot chick might've seemed absolutely normal and only made them bite their nails out of anxiousness of seeing the girl again.

On Pein, it had a slightly different effect. He felt like a world famous rockstar, stepping onto the stage only to confront the situation where no one recognizes him. Feeling completely out of his element, he couldn't help but stare after the two girls, his eyes keeping wandering down to the newcomer's skirt.

Had he not been caught off guard, he would've been able to think straight and guess the girl's game, since she was related to Deidara after all and even though he didn't know the blond's full history, he knew enough to be able to draw his own conclusions. But given the circumstances, he put the girl's behavior down to her innocent and airhead personality, completely forgetting what impression she'd left the day before.

After seeing Konan leave, Sasori and Deidara burst out laughing again, earning a death glare from the very annoyed Pein. If anything, friends were to annoy one even further.

"As you can see, this is the girls' dormitory, and the third room on your left, is your room," Sakura said, handing the other girl the keys.

Konan thanked her and was about to part from her, when something popped into her mind. "Wait! Sakura!" she called her back.

"Yes?" the pink-haired girl stopped and turned around again.

"Who do I share my room with?" Even though one could already guess it from the homework Konan had done, I feel the need to mention this - she did not like surprises.

Sakura laughed a little at an inside joke before answering. "Tayuya Hokumon."

The name alone was enough for Konan to understand the joke. A sweet and kind girl sharing a room with a chick everyone considered an asshole. Contrary to what the pink-haired girl might've thought, Konan had to admit she was rather pleased with the situation. Overbearing and foul-mouthed people may have seemed repulsive to some, but to her they were like soul mates.

Konan nodded and smiled as a thank you, before unlocking her door and stepping inside.

The first thing she noticed was her huge bag lying next to a made bed, probably carried there while she'd rushed to the first class right from her hotel. Tsunade herself had come to greet her, which had been, again, one of the many conditions on which Konan had been _allowed _to step onto the surface of the same island her brother was on.

Truth be told, Tsunade was the reason the whole trip was possible. With her contacts and connections, the paper confirming the treaty of Konan and Deidara remaining separated from each other, had been sent through the shredder, allowing Konan to become a _free girl _once again. No more limits, no more cops keeping records of her every move. A new fresh page had been turned, ready to have the old history written on it in a fresh and invisible ink. No more mistakes. What happened unbeknown to the government, had to stay unbeknown to the government.

But do not think Tsunade had done this just because she was feeling kind and was in a good mood. Far from that. Her will to cut someone's throat open had never been greater and that was exactly what had persuaded her into calling the girl. An eye for an eye deal – a term both females were familiar with.

Everything had gone well – Konan's presence in Hidden High School confirmed that. But _why _had she gone to such great lengths to transfer here? The joy of beating the authority at their own game? The chance to see her brother again? Nah.

Konan took her diary out of the bag and threw it onto the desk. It landed open on a page she'd written on a month ago.

_Dear frigging diary,_

_Heh, guess who's been depressed until now? The knowledge of the treaty has spread all over the underworld by now, fucking up the reputation we've built for years. Though it probably hasn't reached Deidara yet. From what I know, he's trying to play good for some time. _

_I got a call from Tsunade, HHS headmaster, in the morning. Yeah, I was surprised. She offered me a deal – if I'm able to find out the address of some damn businessman's secret lover, the treaty will be cancelled – just like that. Something to brighten up my day. Now I'm going from planning a break-in to the White House to stalking a middle-aged man. Haha, oh I love irony._

_I saw a video on youtube that was filmed at Dei's school's last Xmas dance. A guy named Pein had been dating this girl Tenten for a few weeks or so and he dumped her on stage, after they'd both been announced as the 'king and queen' and the girl had said that they would always remain as the 'royal couple'. I did a little research on my own – this Pein turns out to be THE Pein – the leader of the Akatsuki. The infamous dark-sexy heartbreaker who basically runs the city. Mentioning that he's got some hell of a rep is probably unnecessary. _

_But reputation is like energy – it cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. Reputation comes from ruining someone else's, and if your rep is ruined, someone else's gets bigger. That, I guess, is my new plan. _

A close up picture of Pein with a red circle around it had been glued to the lower part of the page.

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><p>To be continued...<p>

A/N: _It took me three tries to write Konan's diary entry, just because I wasn't sure what I wanted the real her to be like. The first version was a happy-go-lucky girl, who makes up for her personality by her flawless schemes. The second one was a fangirl, who'd seen the video of Pein and was dying to meet him - kind of like Misa from Death Note. Erasing that version as well, I wrote this one. I think out of the three, this is the best one._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Konan had just found her books for the next class, biology, when she heard a knock on her door. She cocked her head towards it, doing some math inside her head. There were only two persons it could've been, fifty-fifty. Either Tayuya or...

"Hello, sis," a familiar voice reached the girl, right before the sound of the door closing. Konan turned around slowly, her smile growing instantly sweet the moment she eyed her brother. She inhaled slowly, finally getting to observe her brother, who she hadn't seen for over a year. There weren't that many changes about his looks; he didn't look any older or more boyish. The only noticeable change would've been his eyes, the look in it. They looked the same as before, yet there was a remarkable difference.

Eyes are said to be the mirrors of the soul – a saying that had been proven to be correct enough times to earn its respectable place in Konan's personal How to Survive 101. Examining her brother's eyes was the first step she took to understand what changes might've happened in the boy's way of thinking during the time they'd been apart.

Most of the old features were still present – stubbornness, collective calmness in dangerous situations that was replaced by childish manners and moodiness once the danger was over, the easygoing attitude, fearlessness and boldness, but something… something was different, and yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was something new to her, something she'd never seen in her brother's eyes before, but she couldn't describe it.

"Hey, Dei," Konan replied in a whisper, before dashing towards him and throwing her arms around his neck. Deidara returned the energetic reunion hug, lifting the girl off the ground and spinning her around in the room. A happy giggle escaped the girl's lips as she was put on her feet again and let go of her brother.

Deidara looked at her for a moment before opening his mouth. "Are you even going to make me ask?"

Konan smiled, shook her head and went to sit down on her new bed, motioning for Deidara to follow her example.

"You're interested in the story of how I got here without getting arrested?" the girl asked with a playful smile, seeing the boy roll his eyes as a substitute for sarcastic remarks. "Well, sit _down"_– Deidara still hadn't sat, but after hearing the threatening voice, obeyed and followed the orders – "and listen."

Deidara nodded as a sign of the girl having his full attention. Konan told him about the deal with Tsunade. Deidara stayed completely quiet the entire time, not a muscle in his face moving during the story. After she'd finished, she smiled, her face like a cute child's, who was waiting for praise. The response, though, was completely different from what she'd expected.

"What's your game, Konan? And what has Pein got to do with it?" Deidara asked, suspicion filling his mind. He didn't trust the game, when she'd made it up on her own, and taking into account the changes that had happened during the time they'd been separated, his doubts ought to have been reasonable.

Konan was taken aback a little, more by the tone than the question. The emotion resulted in her smile fading and eyes narrowing, building up the defensive façade she'd never had to use with her brother before. The more she heard Deidara talk, the more certain she grew about the changes that had happened. What could have changed? Sasori, his boyfriend? Something else?

Konan decided to be careful until she would get to the bottom of it. "I got us the freedom and the fresh page, no congrats?" They both knew she was deliberately avoiding the question.

Deidara understood that he would never get anything out of her, if he continued acting like this. It was time to break down the walls.

"Sorry for acting so rude, sis. I'm glad the treaty is over," Deidara said and smiled. "Tell me what you have been up to, no need to act defensive. Just tell me, I won't judge. Never have, never will."

Konan looked at him and knew instantly that he was speaking the truth. The look in his eyes was sincere. Deidara was still Dei, she tried to convince herself. Collaborating with the big part of her that wanted to believe it so bad, she shoved away her doubts.

Konan stood up, grabbed the diary from the desk and threw it to the boy. "You can start reading from page one, I started this one on my first day in Sand High."

Deidara nodded and opened it, while Konan took her biology things from the desk. "I have to get to class. Are you having a free period?"

Deidara nodded his head again quietly, not taking his eyes off the diary. Konan took off, leaving the door shut, but unlocked. She knew she didn't need to tell her brother the consequences of him letting someone else see the diary. He already knew them.

Konan rushed to the second floor as fast as she could, trying not to bump into anyone. The hallways were quite crowded as everyone wanted to get to class on time. She'd just brushed against Neji, who walked by, and turned her head for a second to see who it had been, when she ran into somebody and fell down on her butt. When she looked up with an angry expression that at once turned into the sweet mask, it really felt like déjà vu.

"Oh, sor-," Pein started to say, but quieted, when he saw the person who'd run into him. Again. He couldn't keep the sly smirk off his face, when the girl tried to get up, but was in trouble due to the shortness of her skirt.

In her mind, Konan was swearing really loudly in at least 11 different languages. Repeating the scene from the day before had definitely not been part of the plan. A quick fight took place in her head between her ego and the voice that reminded her the importance of the plan. She closed her eyes, sighing, and was about to surrender and extend her hand, when Pein reached out for her first and pulled her up.

Once safely on her feet, Konan quickly fixed her skirt and then looked at the boy with a shy smiling expression. "Eh, thanks," she said, habitually pincing her earlobe.

Pein chuckled. "So you _can_ be nice?"

"Niceness is subjective."

"True," Pein agreed.

Konan kept her eyes on the ground, not knowing whether there was anything she could've said that would've matched with her act. This could've turned into an awkward silence, had the annoying ringing not pierced through it. Saved by the bell, as they say.

Konan quickly turned around and ran towards the class, hearing Pein follow him. Guess they had this class together as well.

They entered the class just before all the others were about to sit down. Konan murmured some quick apologizes, while Pein simply walked past her. The teacher nodded, accepting the apologizes, and motioned for her to take a seat. Konan decided to go for the empty desk in the front row – sticking to the boy like glue would've been a bad move.

The teacher told them to open their textbooks and Konan let out a sigh, when she saw the topic – human anatomy. This was something she knew through and through thanks to her Master in China, who'd taught her and Deidara everything there was to know about treating wounds. A lesson, which inevitably included human anatomy.

Konan rested her head on her arm, pretending to listen. It seemed like the teacher could've gone on forever talking about the topic. She'd just started playing with her pen, when a pink-haired woman dashed into the classroom, slamming the door shut after herself. Konan raised her head and saw that it was the drama class teacher, Karin Toujou.

"What's the meaning of-?" the biology teacher started to say, but was cut off by the energetic female.

"Oh quiet, this will only take a moment."

Biology teacher could see that there was no point in arguing with his colleague and sat down, resting his head on his hands. "Just make it quick, will you?"

"OK, listen up kiddies! This year, as most of you already know, the senior year is going perform in the school musical. Not all of you, of course. I want students with real talent!"

If Konan had to make a list of people who annoyed her the most in this school, Karin would've gotten the first place. Musical? _You're kidding!_School musicals always had one thing in common – two main characters, who would eventually fall in love in real life as well, even if only for a short period of time. Now she would have to make sure Pein wouldn't get the main character's part. Great. Fantastic. Someone ought to kill this pink-haired idiot.

"The auditions will start tomorrow morning. I want _everyone_to give themselves a chance. And I do mean everyone. Those who ignore this order will get to be the clean-up crew after the show is over."

There was a general groan among the students. Konan would've loved to slam her head against the table. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated in this life?

"Is this all?" the biology teacher asked, looking almost as irritated as Konan.

Karin thought it over for a moment. "You know what? Yes, I guess it is! Bye-bye kiddies, see you tomorrow!" She waved them goodbye and left the class.

Deidara had just finished reading the diary, when Konan entered the room, slamming the door closed. Her mood reflected on her face. "Did you finish?" she asked sullenly, putting her books away.

"Mhm, we need to talk," Deidara said, matter-of-factly.

"No shit," Konan replied and took the diary, locking it before putting it into the upper drawer. "But later, I don't want to be late again. Do we have the next class together?"

Deidara nodded. He followed his sister out of the room, Konan locking the room behind them. Her harsh movements made Deidara raise his eyebrows, even though he didn't inquire. They made their way to the third floor, maneuvering past the students shuffling in and out of the classrooms.

When they reached the music class, Deidara opened the door, making Konan almost turned on her heel – Karin was standing in front of the class.

To make her move, Deidara had to tap on his sister's shoulder, motioning for her to follow him. Reluctantly, Konan traced after him, circling around the desks. They went to sit down at the back of the class, where Pein and Sasori were already present.

"What's going on?" Deidara asked, sitting down in Sasori's lap. "What's Karin doing here?"

"Has probably something to do with the musical," Pein replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh," Deidara murmured and nodded, clearly informed about the event. Konan remained silent, burying her face in her hands.

The bell rang and Karin rose from her seat, clapping her hands to get the class's attention. "Hello everyone! So, I will be substituting your music class teacher until she comes back from her trip, which is approximately in two weeks."

"Oh no," Konan groaned. "How many music classes do we have in a week?" she asked, turning her head to the boys. (The sitting order was – Konan, Pein, Deidara's seat, which was empty at the moment, and Sasori)

"Two," Pein answered.

_Shit,_Konan swore in her head, not saying it out loud just in case. As if the musical wasn't enough, now she had to tolerate her twice a week. _Relax, Konan. You've had to be with worse idiots than her. Just ignore her, she's nothing. She doesn't exist._ This method could've even worked, had Karin's next sentence not been directed at her.

"I've been told that you have a new student in class. Konata, if I'm not mistaken. Where is he?"

If we had to write down Konan's thoughts at that moment, it would've had to be censored, even in a story that's rated M. The girl had stiffened all over her body, not moving an inch to make her presence known.

"Konata, where are you?" Karin repeated, scanning to class to find the new face.

Unwillingly and abnormally slowly, Konan raised her hand.

"Oh, there you are! Welcome!" Karin said cheerfully and clapped her hands again like a three-year old.

The girl coughed to clean her throat and said: "It's Konan, and I'm female."

Karin laughed. "Of course you are, how silly of me! Come here then, _female_Konan,"-she winked at the girl, sending a shiver running down her body-"show us what you've got!"

"Excuse me?" Konan said in a monotone voice, her face completely blank.

Karin laughed again, the sound making Konan want to throw her out of the window. _Why wasn't she in a mental hospital?_

"Come here and sing something! You know, songs can say more than a thousand words."

Yes, they can, if the lyrics consists of more than a thousand words. _What the fuck? Come there? Fuck you, bitch! Fuck fuck fuck fuck YOU! NO FUCKING WAY!_

On the outside, Konan had only paled a little and was staring at the teacher like she hadn't heard her.

"Come now, Konata. Nothing to be afraid of!" Karin tried to encourage her, moving to the left side of the class to leave the front "stage" empty for Konan.

Konan cast her eyes down on the table and took a deep breath, trying to calm her accelerating heart down. _Relax, you have nothing to lose. Think of it as a mission to pole dance in front of some boy gang to distract them, while Deidara knocks them all unconscious. That time, it worked out pretty well._

Reluctantly, she stood up, walking to the front of the class like a model on a runway. Had anyone been able to see inside her, they would've seen fire. She stopped in front of the blackboard, her eyes running across the room, stopping for a second or two, when they met Pein's.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began to sing, her hands behind her back.

"_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?_

_Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb._

_Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold._

_Until you find it there and lead it back home."_

"Wake me up!"

Konan felt her stomach lurch, but had no time to think about who had just sung that, if she wanted to stay in rhythm, which she did. So she continued:

"_Wake me up inside!"_

"I can't wake up!" Pein shouted/sang from his spot, standing up and smiling at her as she opened up her eyes.

"_Wake me up inside!"_Konan's confused face changed and she returned the smile.

"Save me!"

"_Call my name and save me from the dark!"_

"Wake me up!"

"_Bid my blood to run."_Konan let her hands hang by her sides, adrenaline building up anxiety in her veins, like she was really giving a show in front of hundreds of people.

"I can't wake up!" Pein started to slowly walk away from the back row, to the left side of the room, so he could come around the tables to the front of the class.

"_Before I come undone!"_Konan closed her eyes again, almost breathing in the character she imagined was singing the song.

"Save me!" Pein had reached the blackboard on the left side of the class and halted.

"_Save me from the nothing I've become."_

Konan paused for a moment, took a deep breath and opened her wild eyes that could've belonged to a fallen angel. She started walking from the middle of the "stage" (which was the front of the class) to the right side, away from Pein.

"_Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me" -_the bitterness in her voice was like she was about to cry, but with the next sentence, her character had made up her mind and collected herself - "_Bre-e-a-the, into me and make me real! Bring me to life…"_

Pein started walking slowly after her, once she had come to a stop on the other side of the room. "Wake me up!"

"_Wake me up inside!"_

"I can't wake up!"

Konan looked up from the ground and they locked eyes. "_Wake me up inside!"_

"Save me!"

Konan started taking steps towards the boy, like there were strings pulling her closer. And no, Sasori had nothing to do with it. "_Call my name and save me from the dark."_

"Wake me up!"

"_Bid my blood to run."_Konan didn't even realize that she'd forgotten the existence of the rest of the class. Her fallen angel's character's emotions had completely taken over her own, when she looked into the boy's eyes who she imagined to be a dark vampire – the only one who could save the fallen angel.

"I can't wake up!"

Konan halted and squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists and shaking her head. _"Before I come undone!"_

"Save me!" Pein had stopped as well, leaving a few meters between them.

"_Save me from the nothing I've become. Bring me to life…"_

"I've been living a lie… there's nothing inside…" Pein almost whispered, though loudly enough for the audience to hear.

"_Bring me to life… Frozen inside without your touch, without your lo-o-ove, darling. Only you are the life among the dead!"_Konan's eyes snapped open.

"All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see. Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me!"

"_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems, got to open my eyes to everything!"_

"Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul."

"_DON'T LET ME DIE HERE!"_

"There must be something more!" Pein drew a quick breath. "Wake me up!"

"_Wake me up inside!"_Konan took a single step towards the boy.

"I can't wake up!"

"_Wake me up inside!"_

Pein took a step. "Save me!"

"_Call my name and save me from the dark!"_Another step by Konan.

"Wake me up!"

"_Bid my blood to run."_

Pein took a step and extended his hand. "I can't wake up!"

"_Before I come undone!"_Konan took a step and extended her hand as well.

"Save me!" Pein took the girl's hand.

"_Save me from the nothing I've become!"_

"I've been living a lie… There's nothing inside…"

"_Bring me to life."_

Pein pulled the girl into a hug. Konan wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. She felt like falling under, the warmth of the boy becoming so comforting against her skin. Her breathing was even, taking in the scent of him, her head resting against his chest. This was a dream, a voice in her head claimed.

Loud cheering and applause brought them back to reality though and the reality hit the girl hard. _What the fuck had she just done? Abruptly, s_he let go of the boy, causing him to do the same.

Karin stumbled up to them, drying a tear from the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. She put her arms around both of their necks, Konan becoming still instantly. She didn't appreciate people touching her more than necessary.

"You two…" Karin laughed. "Are Sebastian and Rika!"

"We are what?" Konan blurted out, removing the teacher's hand from her shoulder with disgust on her face.

"The main characters of the musical, of course!" she said and dried another tear, letting go of Pein as well. Then she clapped her hands. "Now that that's settled, you may go back to your seats."

Konan felt like she was walking in a dream and nothing was real anymore. Pein and her, the main characters? _She_ was going to take part in the musical? Come again?

She sat down behind her desk like a robot, who wasn't in control of her own movements. Next to her, she heard Deidara chuckle. "Oh the irony."

_Of course, Deidara knew everything about her plans now that he'd read her diar_y, she remembered. "Shut the fuck up," Konan muttered and slammed her head against the desk – something she'd wanted to do all day long.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_No, no long and obnoxious notes today. I only wanted to say **Happy late birthday, Chillybean! **_

_...and thank you everyone for reading this._

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

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><p>"Lights please!"<p>

Konan used her hand to shadow her eyes from the blinding floodlight directed at her. She heard someone clap their hands in the room, calling people to order and yelling some quick commands, before everyone quieted down. Knowing her eyes had gotten used to the bright light already, Konan moved her hand a little and looked down at the three adults sitting behind a table.

"You are Konan Iwaga," the one in the middle, a middle-aged woman with short spiky brown hair, stated, as though she saw reminding the girl of her own name as a necessity. It wasn't a question and Konan didn't response, waiting for what was about to come. "Karin has written you down as the cast for _Rika, _the heroine of the musical."

Konan nodded slowly, hoping this would encourage the captain obvious to move on quicker and tell her something she didn't know already.

The man on the left, an obsessed-looking one with taunted brown hair, raised his index finger threateningly, continuing in place of the woman. "But _do not_ think that's settled already! We haven't heard you sing yet and have got the names of around ten other girls listed down on our papers, each one of them ready to take on the role!" He raised three white sheets and waved with them to add emphasis to his mad-sounding speech. "So," he said, setting the papers back on the table and leaning back on the chair. "Show us what you've got."

The man on the right stood up in a harsh movement, and for a moment Konan thought he was going to throw a fit. "YES! Show us your talent, _convince us-" _he practically hissed the words, extending the s like a snake. "-to choose you." He sat down again, pleased with himself.

Konan blinked and blinked twice. She gazed at the people sitting behind the table, drawing parallels with them and mad scientists who were waiting for their lab rat to say something. Did these people even teach in this school? _Yes, indeed they do, _Konan mentally commented. _And none of them have been diagnosed with a mental disorder in the past._

Reminding herself that she was still expected to amaze the audience in some way, she glanced around her. A girl like her had naturally already come up with plans from A to Z, taking into account different scenarios and outcomes. Her eyes stopped on the grand piano standing on the stage and she decided to skip over to plan C.

"May I use the piano?" she asked, turning to the judges and shadowing her eyes again.

The brown-haired man looked like he was about to say something, before the woman cut him off. "An actor is allowed to use everything on the stage."

Konan nodded and swung around, walking off to the instrument. She felt her stomach lurch and her hands trembled slightly when she lifted off the fall board and sat down. A confident voice in the back of her head kept telling her everything would be fine, even if she wasn't chosen, but the voice was muted by her loud and accelerating heart beat.

Konan set her feet softly on the two pedals, not pushing them down yet, frowning at the absence of the third pedal. Knowing she was only subconsciously putting off the start, she closed her eyes, having placed her fingers on the right keys. Swallowing once more to moisten her throat, she pressed down the keys.

"_Don't cry to me! If you loved me, you would be here with me._

_You want me? Come find me! Make up your mind!"_

She let her fingers run along the keys, playing the melody she'd known by heart for ages. When the song had been released, her first step had been to download the sheet music and storm off to her piano teacher with them. After a few weeks, she'd introduced the song to her voice coach, begging her to teach her to sing it the way Amy Lee did. Both she and Deidara had attended music schools until the eight grade.

"_Should I let you fall? Lose it all? So maybe you can remember yourself._

_Can't keep believing, we're only deceiving ourselves and I'm sick of the lie! _

_And you're too late._

_So don't cry to me! If you loved me, you would be here with me!_

_You want me? Come find me! Make up your mind!"_

The room was completely quiet, when she sang and played the chorus, her soprano voice filling the space. It felt wonderful to know that her schoolmates sitting in the auditorium, waiting for their turn, were actually listening. Was it too conceited of her to wish they were actually watching in awe?

"_Couldn't take the blame, sick with shame. Must be exhausting to lose your own game._

_Selfishly hated, no wonder you're jaded. You can't play the victim this time! _

_And you're too late!"_

Making an alteration to the song, she only played the instrumental for the chorus, without singing it. Resisting the urge to peek into the audience, she continued with the bridge.

"_You never call me when you're sober. You only want it 'cause it's over. It's over!_

_HOW could I have burnt paradise? How COULD I…? You… were NEVER mine!"_

Konan took a deep breath, going for the ending verse, deliberately adding the bitter sound to her voice.

"_So don't cry to me! If you loved me, you would be here with me._

_Don't lie to me! Just get your things. I've made up your mind."_

Konan slid her fingers off the keyboard softly, letting her hands fall in her lap. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a small sigh, and opened them again, looking at the crowd with a smile on her face. A few more seconds and the applause started, the girl rising to her feet and walking to the front of the stage.

Konan didn't pay any attention to the familiar smiling faces in the crowd, but let her eyes focus on the judges. Their indifferent and strict expressions irked her a little for their lack of praise and encouragement. Even if she hadn't passed, she _had _done her plain best – without any tricks, just showing what she'd got. Was friendliness on those old faces really too much to ask?

For a minute or two after the applause had stopped, no one said anything, leaving Konan just standing there. Her patient mask was beginning to slide off as she wondered whether she should just leave the stage. Stubbornness forced her to stay where she was.

The woman in the middle cocked her head to one said, then to the other, whispering something to both of the males' ears. The men nodded. Konan sighed, irritated. She'd never seen the point of these tense moments. Just telling everyone off so they could go on with their lives sounded like a far better option to her.

"We'll see you a week from now at 12 o'clock in this same spot," the woman said insolently, her voice hinting that in her opinion the girl was far from good enough, despite that they had chosen her. "Next!"

Konan's face lit up immediately, despite the arrogance in the woman's voice. She'd been chosen. She really had. Judged by only her singing voice, she'd been evaluated better than others. Somehow, this seemed to please her far more than being chosen thanks to one of her schemes. There may have been more to the whole musical than had met her eye at the first glance.

Preserving her pride, she didn't skip down the stairs, but walked in a calm manner, her façade revealing only one tenth of the excitement she was actually feeling. One part of seeming superior, she had learnt, was not letting people know how happy you felt for succeeding in something. This created the impression that you could have anything you set your mind to. The truth that the public missed ran far deeper though.

She walked down the aisle, eyeing a group of her classmates rising from their seats and approaching her. The group included Pein and Sasori. They walked right up to her, Konan not bothering to hide her smug smirk anymore. Sasori greeted her with a wide smile and gently took her arm, spinning her around a little, her black skirt swirling with her.

"Our star has risen," he said playfully and let go of the girl, who was giggling. The small group around them applauded. Konan smiled widely and let her eyes run over them, stopping when they met Pein's. The girl's smile disappeared as she looked at him, the glint in her eyes daring him to look away. The boy raised his eyebrows.

As gently as ever, he took Konan's hand and bowed slightly, bringing the hand up to his lips and kissing it softly. Konan's expression remained indifferent throughout those short seconds, although on the inside she was shocked.

"Welcome to the game, lovely lady," Pein said flirtingly, before letting go of the girl's hand. Konan raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. Pein smiled, "It was written in the script. They let me read it for half a minute."

_He has already performed and they picked him, _Konan realized. She smiled back and made a small curtsy, bowing her head elegantly. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen the papers yet, so I can't return the lines. But believe me, I won't stay in debt for long, mister _Sebastian_."

"Doubting your words is the last thing on my mind, lady _Rika," _Pein said softly, yet so strictly, making Konan wonder whether those lines had been from the script as well. Looking into the boy's eyes, she felt butterflies in her stomach as she stood straight, the feeling not leaving her, no matter how hard she wished for it to go away. There was a playful spark dancing in the boy's eyes as they stayed locked with the girl's in silence.

Konan tried to force her eyes away, but her body refused to listen. Just like in the music class, everyone around them seemed to vanish for that one long moment. She felt something ice-cold, yet burning and hot pierce through her whole world stopped for a second, the eye contact between them holding it still.

Konan's heart was still racing, when she unlocked the door and stepped into her room, finding Deidara leaning against her desk with an expressionless face. Konan sensed something was off and wiped the nervous smile off her own face, closing the door quietly behind herself.

"How did you get in?"

"I have a spare key," Deidara replied, holding out a gray lock pick the size of a folded pocket knife. Not once did the corner of his mouth cringe up. Konan ignored the anxiousness rising up in her, and stepped closer.

"That wasn't entirely necessary, you know," she said, forcing her tone neutral. "You knew that I was at the casting. Had you been there, you might've gotten a role for yourself."

"I prefer watching," Deidara said, his eyes growing bored. Konan looked into them, stopping in the middle of the room. The boy was silent, seemingly oblivious of the awkwardness Konan started to feel after a minute had passed. She felt uncomfortable just standing there, hence she went to sit down on her bed.

"So… what brings you here?" she broached, tangling and untangling her fingers. "You wanted to talk about something?"

Deidara nodded slowly, lowering his gaze to the ground. "It's about your plans for the future. For _our _future," he started quietly, his voice low and collected.

Konan didn't like where this was going with that kind of a voice, but she wasn't going to interrupt either. Let him get it all out first, before drawing any conclusions. She saw Deidara glance at her and motioned for him to carry on.

Deidara pushed himself away from the desk and started pacing around the room, looking unseeingly into space. "Things have changed a little since the last time we saw each other in Germany. _I _have changed."

Konan felt her heart sink deeper with every word escaping her brother's lips, but she couldn't make herself tell him to stop either. Not even that, she didn't _want_ to. This was what she'd been waiting for to find out, the dreaded detail she hadn't been able to spot. In a way, she'd been right from the first second she'd seen her brother again. Something _had _changed.

Deidara swung around in a quick movement, looking straight into the girl's eyes, not a single emotion showing on his calm face. "The past life is behind us, and it will _stay _there. It's over. The farthest I will go is what the Akatsuki do, nothing more."

Konan could almost hear an imaginary knife flying into a mirror, shattering the glass. She sensed herself going numb, not even feeling the teeth in her lip, while biting it to bleed. Her eyes were blank and lacking emotion as she stared at her brother. Deidara waited patiently for her to take it all in, before…

"What?" Konan heard herself snap, her voice sharp and disbelieving. "_Why?"_

Deidara let out a sigh. "Because it was just _not right. _We sometimes caused _chaos _among people, our parents were constantly worried about us-"

"You mean the parents, who _disowned _us," Konan interrupted, her eyes narrowing. Her fists clenched tightly to the hem of her skirt, the glowing metal digging deep into her skin. "What about them? They're _gone, _enjoying champagne somewhere in Latin-America. We won't worry them anymore."

"You're being judgmental. We were the ones at fault here. The stress we caused them, I want to make it up-"

"You want to go _back _to the ones who disowned us? _Abandoned us?" _Konan hissed, rising to her feet and taking threatening steps towards her brother. She'd known that there had been some changes, but never had she imagined that things could've gone so far. "_They betrayed us!"_

Deidara grabbed Konan by her shoulders, holding her still in front of him. "We can agree to disagree at the moment. That is not the point."

"Then what _is _your point? Are you going to just _throw away _all we have built throughout the years? You're going to throw away _all that time?"_

"I'm not throwing it away, I'm _erasing it," _Deidara countered, feeling his control over the situation starting to slip away. "This past should have never happened," he spat, giving Konan a slight push. "And there's no way I'm going to let it happen again."

Konan stumbled a few steps back, her hands shaking slightly. At some point, she wasn't sure anymore what was real and what was just her imagination. The world might've just as well collapsed in front of her, without her being able to tell the difference. After all, _her own _world had just collapsed. She was staring into space, not seeing anything as the rage was bubbling up inside her, burning her insides.

Instinctively, she reached for the pocket knife stuck in her stocking, flipping it open with a low click. The silver blade flashed in the sunlight coming in from the window. Without understanding what she was doing, Konan sped towards Deidara, aiming the knife to hit her brother's shoulder.

"_You CAN'T-" _Deidara quickly dodged her attack, moving to the right, shock flashing across his face. "-_BE-" _Konan swirled around to repeat the attack, but Deidara moved quicker, grabbing her hands and pinning her against the ground. _"-THIS STUPID!" _Konan spat, despite her position. She looked like an enraged tiger in a prison, locks of her blue hair fallen messily across her face. "_YOU'RE THROWING AWAY YOUR LIFE!"_

Deidara held her hands firmly, letting the knife slip through her fingers and fall down on the ground with a low thump. "I have a new one," he stated, the sentence hitting Konan like a harsh whip across the face. "I do not live that life anymore."

Deidara braced himself for a new outburst, his grip tightening only a bit. Konan cast him a deadly look, her eyes almost burning as the devil danced in them. Grim Reaper would've paled at the sight of her, but Deidara did not. He held the eye contact until Konan closed her eyes.

Her breathing seemed to go back to normal and Deidara felt her body relax. Something inside her seemed to click into place again and her expression cleared, the clouded look disappearing as she opened her eyes. In less than a second, she went from looking mad to an unprotected brokenhearted girl.

Deidara stood up, seeing as the girl wouldn't attack him anymore, and walked to the door, leaving his sister just lying there on the ground. "See you around, Konan," he muttered and went through the door. The door closed with a quiet click.

For an immeasurable amount of time, Konan just lay there, staring blankly at the white ceiling. She felt like she was walking on a rope, except that unlike on an ordinary day, she knew she was going to fall. The only question was, to which side. The sides resembled her mood after the floor-time would be over. She would either collapse on her bed, all of her energy draining away, or…

When Tayuya returned to the room around 10 pm, she froze on the doorway. For a moment she wondered, whether she had walked into the wrong room, but pushed that thought aside quickly. Had that been the case, she wouldn't have been able to unlock the door with her own key. Blinking once, she let her eyes run across the room.

The shelves had been knocked over, the books and everything on it lying now in messy piles around the place. There were holes in both of the beds and one of the desks seemed to have burn marks on it, while the other was missing drawers. The broken window hinted, where everything missing could've gone. Right in the middle of the chaos, there was an open book, with a pile of ripped out pages next to it.

Tayuya let her eyes roam over the chaos repeatedly, taking in all details of her demolished room. She sighed, looking down. Konan was nowhere to be seen.

Swinging around, she whipped out her cell phone, hitting the speed dial while locking up after herself. The phone was picked up after the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hidan, get your ass in the car and come pick me up. I'm staying over."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>

_The song was Call me when you're sober by Evanescence._


	4. Chapter 4

****_It's Thu-thu-thu-thu-THURSDAY and another chap is up ^^ _( captain obvious). _Anyways, I hope you enjoy._

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

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><p>Finally calming down after the fit, Konan fell down on a pile of sheets and pillows, stolen from the beds. Her eyes fell shut and she took deep breaths, her body still shaking slightly. Drops of cold sweat ran down her pale face, mixing with the flowing tears.<p>

Blowing out a breath, she opened her eyes and whipped out a handkerchief from her pocket, wiping her face. She glanced around her, feeling the reality coming back. There wasn't much left of the room anymore, the emptiness in her growing the more she became aware of that.

Once again, she felt like running away for a new start. Staying here would've meant rearranging so many things, basically her whole life, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted that, or was even ready for it.

On the other hand, running away would've given her more time to think, but the rearrangements would've been even bigger. Leaving now, without saying a word to Deidara, would've meant shattering their whole relationship, and that was not an easy thing to put back together.

Thinking about Deidara made Konan's heart sink and she wrapped her arms around herself, as though to stop herself from falling to pieces. Her brother had always been a part of her, the other _half, _but now she'd been replaced. They'd been separated and Konan had been left half-empty, while Deidara had Sasori to fill the empty space.

Konan scraped her hair back in frustration, feeling a new wave of depression wash over her, threatening to suffocate her. Beginning to sway back and forth, she bit her finger hard to create a new source of pain that would force her attention away from the tight feeling in her chest.

After a few minutes, she stopped and rested her head on her knees, taking in a deep breath. _Relax, Konan, _she told herself. _This hasn't killed you yet, which means it will only make you stronger. _She looked up, staring at the once white wall she'd written on with a black marker. Now the space was full of little words scribbled down with a shaking hand.

Staring at one spot helped to calm her down a little, enough to force herself to go through her options. _Option one – run away, _she thought, mouthing the words. _What would I have to do? I'd have to pack my bag right away and flee, preferably through the backdoor to avoid unwanted attention. I'd take the first bus and drive to the nearest airport, taking the first flight to Australia. There, I would find a hotel to stay at. Earn some money – a few cars and a casino should be enough for a year. Then sign up for a high school and enter the senior year in spring. Scan the local underworld. Weigh up my options, decide and continue, I mean, start a new life._

Konan sighed. She could live with that. The only downside of that option was that there was no turning back from that path. That was a big downside.

Tangling her fingers, she moved on to the next option. _Stay. I'd be able to finish high school here and there would be no worries concerning food and shelter until the end of spring. _That was a plus._ I'd have plenty of time to collect money and then decide what I want to do after graduation, the options ranging from joining a terrorist organization to actually entering a university. Meanwhile, I'd have the chance to go down in history for breaking the infamous playboy's heart._

She cracked a small smile, looking down at the floor beneath her. This sounded nice. Despite being used to moving around all the time, Konan did appreciate a place she could call home more than most people.

Her smile died as she continued to think the option through. _What would I have to do for this to work? _She glanced around her, already knowing exactly what she would see. _Pay for the renovation of this room. Get money for paying for the renovation. Do something about Deidara. That's it. _Her eyebrows lowered as she bit her index finger again, this time softer. _The pro would be that I'd still have the chance to turn back and go with another option._

She thought the last sentence over. She could run away any time, so it would've been best to give the second option a try. She could always turn back. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. _I have no idea what it is that I even want._

Hugging her elbows and swaying again, she had an idea. She fished out a coin from her pocket and closed her fingers around it. _Heads – option one; tails - option two. _Throwing it in the air, she caught it in the palm and set it down on the flat of her hand. Removing her hand, her stomach flipped when she saw that it was heads, meaning running away.

Konan smiled. This wasn't what she wanted; she didn't feel any relief, only anxiousness knotting in her stomach. She'd found her answer. She would stay.

Pocketing the coin, she thought, _First off,_ _I need money. Which means going outside. I need to pay for the renovation. _Grabbing her leather jacket from the closet, which was surprisingly still in one piece, she headed out, locking up after herself. _And possibly some new clothes. If I'm staying here, I'm going to take the most of it._

Hidden High School was situated near a city called Hitoshirenu. The name stood for secret, unseen and hidden. Basically, you know where the school got its name from. It was a five minute walk from the school to the border of the town and then fifteen minutes on a bus to the city center. That's the route Konan followed, except that she took a taxi.

Konan stared out of the cab window, taking in the buildings they passed by. It was already dark outside, the street lamps, lightening the street, turning it into a sight from a romance movie. There were many people strolling down the sidewalk, a few couples holding hands among them.

Konan spotted a boy and a girl kissing beside a fountain, the boy leaning against the edge, his arms wrapped tightly around the girl. They pulled away and the boy said something, making the girl laugh and smile at him warmly. The boy smiled back and ran his hand across the girl's cheek.

Konan gave a harsh sigh and looked away. _Love, _she thought and snorted humorlessly, averting her eyes to look at the glowing signs on buildings instead. _An overrated emotion caused by human hormones. There's no profit to it and the only way to avoid getting ditched is to be the first to ditch, _she thought almost bitterly, moving her hand slightly to rest her head on it. _Or just die – no chances of getting ditched, when you're lying eight feet underground._

"You're from overseas, aren't you?" the cabbie asked, glancing at the mirror to look at Konan. The girl moved her head slightly towards him, not appreciating being torn away from her thoughts. Her lips parted slightly as she started to snap at him to keep his mouth shut and just do his work at driving this yellow piece of shit, since it was probably the only thing he could do anyway, but she swallowed those words. For some reason, she didn't want to take it out on him.

_He's just a man doing his work. He's got a life, no need to ruin his day._ Konan shifted her gaze to look out of the window again, deciding to disregard the man instead. A small dog, wearing a ridiculously glittering sweater, was running down the road beside his owner, the middle-aged woman smiling and making kissing motions at her pet from time to time while jogging.

_Chiuaua or something, I think._ Konan didn't know nor did she care; she didn't like dogs for the disgusting saliva, dripping from their mouths, and their goody-goody personalities. Konan preferred cats, those independent and proud creatures; although she didn't find the fur left behind by them on the clothes and carpet entirely pleasant either.

The cabbie cleared his throat. "You had a small accent, while giving me directions," he said, probably expecting the girl to care. Konan could feel his eyes on her without even looking, his attempt to start a conversation almost pitiful. She touched the window glass with the flat of her hand, the coldness feeling good against her burning skin. She suspected she had a fever, or maybe it was just too hot in the cab with her leather jacket over her as well.

"What accent?" Konan murmured in perfect Japanese, loudly enough for the man to hear, her eyes still boring through the window, not really taking anything in anymore.

The cabbie remained silent after that for some time, concentrating on the road for a change. Konan let her thoughts reel freely, thinking through what was possible to happen once she got to her destination. From force of habit, she kept glancing in the mirror to check if anyone was following them. It was an automatic thing for her to do, without even thinking about it.

Nothing suspicious had caught her eye yet, and probably wouldn't either. No one knew her here yet. What a change. For a brief moment she wondered whether it would've been better, or rather possible, for it to stay that way for a little bit longer, but pushed the thought aside with ease. Not possible if she was planning to stay in HHS.

"You should be careful on your way," the man's voice said, once again interrupting her thoughts. This time though, she cast him a look, regarding him. That sentence had been quick to raise suspicion and Konan's eyes looked alerted as she observed the man. Even after a minute, she couldn't bring herself to recognize him. There was no way she could have seen him before in her life. Her body relaxed a little, even though the cautious look in her eyes remained.

"Why would you say that?" she asked, monitoring the man's movements carefully. The cabbie budged slightly in his seat, the discomfort he tried to hide showing on his face. Probably wishing he'd kept quiet. Trying to pull off a casual look, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, it's just the feeling I get. I get them sometimes, y'know? See, my wife is pretty obsessed with these tarot cards and it kind of sticks with you after the hundredth reading," the man kept blabbering, glancing at Konan a little more frequently than necessary for a normal conversation.

Having understood the man's personality enough, Konan really wouldn't have put talking this nonsense and actually meaning it past him, but the discomfort radiating off him was plain obvious. His biggest fault in life was probably his way too big mouth.

Konan's narrowed eyes stayed glued to the mirror, meeting the cabbie's brown eyes and finding more proof than needed that he was lying. It was practically written all over his face; his tense jaw and enlarging pupils speaking for themselves.

"Bullshit," Konan spat, leaning forward in the backseat, her expression fierce. "What do you know about me?"

The cabbie started to say something, but swallowed it, with a shiver running down his back; sharp cold metal was pressing against the back of his neck. A quick glance in the mirror told him that the cute girl from before in the backseat had turned into a threatening woman, holding a knife in her hand.

"Don't lie, if you can't make it convincing," Konan hissed, her warm breath brushing against the driver's skin. "Do you understand? Only the truth." Konan hadn't raised her voice, yet it had the same effect as a general's bellowing. The cabbie nodded his head quickly, but cautiously, careful not to get the blade any deeper into his skin. His eyes were glued to the road, trying not to run over anyone with his hands shaking.

"Good. Now tell me, who told you about me, and _what _they told you," Konan continued, feeling as though she was conducting abduction. She could feel anxiousness rising up inside her. Maybe this guy had a gun ducked beneath his shirt or something? She felt a little wave of relief wash over her at the man's reaction. Poor guy was actually shivering.

"I-I really don't know him, I swear to God I-I-!" He tried to collect himself by pausing and swallowing once. When he continued, he didn't stammer anymore, although he couldn't stop his voice from taking an edge either. "Today when I got to work, I got a call. A man, whose voice I didn't recognize, ordered me to text him whenever I picked up a female customer, and tell him what she looked like and where she was headed. Should I decline, he said, he would hurt my family. To make sure that I took him seriously, he recited my address. Th-that's all I know, I swear!"

Konan thought about it for a moment, withdrawing her knife. The man was speaking the truth all right, that was sincere fear in his eyes. But who had he gotten the call from? And had this been because of her or some other female?

"Okay," she said, leaning back in the seat. "Pull over here."

They hadn't reached the destination yet, but this was close enough. The cabbie obeyed, and pulled into the large parking lot, situated next to a mall. He killed the engine and fell back in the seat, not daring to look behind him. Konan had crossed her legs.

After a moment's silence, she said, "Give me your cell phone." She could see his hesitation as he chanced a look at her in the mirror. Konan sighed impatiently and leaned forward again. "Just hand it over. I won't break it and you'll get it back in a minute."

The cabbie dug out a stone age Nokia from his pocket, giving it to her. She unlocked the keys and quickly went through his texts, checking the recent calls as well. Indeed, there was a call received this morning from an unknown number. The same one he'd kept sending texts to throughout the day.

Quickly memorizing the number, she handed the phone back and opened the door. Whoever this person was, she was going to find him, no matter whether he'd been stalking her or not. Halting for a moment before stepping out, Konan turned her head towards the driver again.

"Why did you warn me?"

The cabbie cast his look down. After a pause he said, "I didn't want a lady getting hurt."

Konan nodded and got out, leaving cash on the backseat. She pushed the door shut and walked away, whipping out her cell phone while glancing around her. Unlocking the keys, she shifted her gaze back to the device and quickly dialed the number.

Starting walking down the street, she brought the phone up to her ear and waited. The wind blowing into her face kept ruffling her hair, blue strands falling messily across her face and making her frown. She smoothed them away and came to a stop before a crosswalk, checking for cars.

No one answered her call. She dialed again impatiently, strolling across the road with a frowning expression. Her grip around the phone tightened as the automatic voice recording started telling her to leave a message again.

She swore and ended the call, shoving the cell back into her pocket. He would not be able to hide forever. She was going to find out who he was, only a little later. For now, she had other things to take care of. Like earning money for the renovation; although _earn _might've been the wrong word for this.

Turning the corner, she walked down a dark alley, the only light coming from the flashing signs up ahead. Her destination was finally in sight. She was glad she'd found it so quickly, even though she'd never been in this city before. It was already getting cold.

A sign flashed the name of the strip club in bright yellow. Konan pushed the door open, walking down the red-walled hallway, in the direction of the booming music. She pushed open the glass door and found herself in a dimly lit room brimming with people, most of them men. The only women Konan spotted were on stage, dancing in their underwear.

Smoke and cabaret music filled the air, along with loud laughter and whistles. Konan maneuvered past the men standing in front of the stage, staring upwards at a pole dancing woman, and moved further into the room, taking in the surroundings. She could feel many pairs of eyes on her, but disregarded them. She only needed a free table for now.

After a minute of just standing in the middle of the crowd, she spotted one, farther across the room, in the back corner. She pushed her way through the mass of people and went to sit down, taking out her cell again. Now that all she had to do was wait, she might as well play some pointless games while doing so. Take a break. Calm her mind, before taking action. After all, it had been over a year since she'd last been involved in anything like this.

She could feel people glancing at her, but ignored it, pretending to be busy with her mobile. A few individuals walked past the table much closer than necessary, attempting to catch the girl's attention. Konan's eyes stayed glued to the cell phone.

It didn't take long until a man came up to her, his courage most impressive. Peering up through her eyelashes, Konan could see it was a man in his early twenties, a brave and seemingly calm mask covering his face. He was wearing casual clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, his hands in pockets. Clearly not what she was waiting for.

The man cleared his throat, waiting for Konan to raise her gaze, but the girl disregarded her. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, before leaning across the table, his hands gripping the edges.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing here all alone? Why aren't you on stage? I bet many-"

"Do you even have any money?" Konan cut him off, not moving an inch. Her voice was sharp, catching the man off guard and making him stare dumbly. Automatically, he reached behind himself to touch his back pocket where he kept his wallet.

"Erm… I don't have that much with me at the moment, but-" the man faltered, his expression confused. He sensed the distaste radiating off the girl, but had no idea what could've caused it. Did his presence bother her?

"Then fuck off," Konan put in again, backing up the man's doubts. He looked dumbfounded, slowly drawing back.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows in a frown and his nose wrinkled. Obviously he hadn't expected this from a girl, who looked easy and for entertainment.

"Leave," Konan drawled, paraphrasing her sentence. The man stared at her as though he'd never seen a woman in his life before. Shaking his head in disbelief, he swung around and walked away, his footsteps inaudible in the noise.

A few more wishful thinkers came around, but Konan sent all of them away as well. Slowly, the word began to spread out – _You see that hot chick sitting there alone? She wants money._

Konan had already managed to climb up to level 30, when a potential individual came to a stop in front of her. He was a man in his early thirties, with short blond hair and a three day beard. He had a cigarette between his lips and seemingly casual clothes, although Konan sensed tailor's handwork.

He took out what looked like a notebook and scribbled something down on it, tossing it across the table to Konan then. Konan could see it was a checkbook, the only gaps needing to be filled being the ones for the payee's name and amount of money.

Slowly raising her head, she looked at the man, who was now smiling widely, his bedroom eyes giving away that he'd been drinking. He extended his hand and took Konan's, who rose to her feet. He took back the checkbook back, slipping it into his pocket. Putting his hand around Konan's waist, his palm slowly ran down to her ass as they walked through the crowd. Mentally gagging at it, Konan kept up the arrogant appearance as the man ushered her out of the club.

There was a black Mercedes waiting on the empty road and Konan slid into the front passenger seat, the man circling around the car and getting in as well. He started the engine and pulled out of the alley, roaming down the main road in the opposite direction of Konan's school.

Neither of them talked during the ride, the only sound being the low humming of the engine. Konan gazed out of the window, memorizing the turns they took for a way back. After about ten minutes, they pulled into the drive of a two-storey house, the gates closing behind them automatically.

The garden was well-tended, with bushes of red roses lining the stone wall of the house. The building had a huge balcony with lounging chairs, plants decorating the railing. Even in the dark, the house looked like out of a romance movie, the moonlight glistening on the bright walls.

Konan was none too impressed; she'd seen and been in better. Boldly, she stepped out of the car, following Dean to the front door. As she hardly ever got to know the men's names, she tended to name them herself; it made it easier to keep track.

Dean unlocked the door and led her inside, switching on the lights on his way, revealing a lofty living room, with white couches, a fireplace and French windows. Konan dropped her purse on the floor by the front door, making it an easy escape. She noticed Dean throwing his jacket, where the checkbook was tucked in, onto the sofa.

He turned around and let his eyes examine the girl, looking her over from head to toe. Konan didn't move an inch, secretly taking in her surroundings, so that she wouldn't get lost later. There were sliding doors next to the fireplace, leading to the backyard and a dark room on the left, presumably the kitchen.

Dean interrupted her observation by stepping closer and stripping her out of her jacket, letting it fall on the floor, and biting her in the neck. Konan bent her head to one side, hating each touch received from the man, but still coping with the disgust. Practice makes perfect. She'd known the cons of this choice from the start, yet she'd still decided to go for it. As they say, bad habits die hard or something. Whatever.

Dean kept sucking on her skin, tracing his tongue across her collarbone and then snapping his head back abruptly, staring at her. Konan's eyes flew open and she looked at him with those same old practiced seductive eyes.

Dean groaned and grabbed her hand, dragging her up the stairs to the second floor. Konan followed him without any struggle, staring at the floor as they rushed to the bedroom. For a fleeting moment, she flashed to Pein, seeing him in the auditorium room from that evening. The way he'd smiled while kissing her hand, quoting Sebastian's lines. Had it really been only a few hours ago?

Confused by her own thoughts, she pushed them away as she was pinned against the wall, Dean smashing their lips together. The reality had returned, turning the redheaded teenager in front of him into a blond thirty-year old man. She kissed back, feeling a weird wave of relief wash over her as she thanked God that the man was at least good-looking, though over a decade older than her.

Dean zipped open her dress and ripped it off, revealing her black lingerie – a lace push-up bra and a garter belt over her panties, holding up the stockings. Konan's hand moved behind her, down to her thigh where she kept her pocket knife tucked in the stocking. It was so time to end this.

This was the usual schedule – pull out the knife, make the man back off, grab the compact pistol hidden in the small holster in her dress, deal with the man by tying him up or drugging him, get the shit needed, hit the road.

Konan sensed there were going to be some minor changes in the plan, when she felt the touch of a cold muzzle against her bare stomach, sending a shiver running down her spine. Her eyes were still closed, when the man whispered, his warm breath brushing against her face.

"Not this time, Konan. Not today."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry, I know it's short and sorry in advance for not updating next Thursday. I'm just a little busy with screwing up my own life and then making it livable again. Lol. Kind of like Konan. Guess where I got the inspiration for writing her from._

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

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><p>"Not this time, Konan. Not today."<p>

For a brief second, Konan saw all of her past misadventures flash before her eyes, her breath caught in her throat. Was this the end? Mentally, she jerked the gun from the man and hit herself against the back of the head with it. What had she become; stupid? Heh, no. Those thoughts had been merely a joke.

She raised her chin, slowly letting go of the knife as the man took it from her. The whole world had tensed, Konan scanning her memory for a clue of where she'd met the man before. For it was obvious _he _knew, who she was. But after a minute, it became clear that s_he _didn't know _him_.

Konan swallowed once, making sure her voice would be collected, when she spoke. "Have we met before?"

The man chuckled once, tracing the gun up to the girl's chest. "Maybe, maybe not," he drawled, playing with his tongue by running it across his teeth. Konan felt chills running down her body as the cold metal made its way up.

The man bent closer again, pressing his lips against the girl's neck. Konan felt nauseous, once she realized how far this could go, if she didn't do something. Dean took her hand, stepping backwards and making her follow him.

He led them to the bed, his lips still on the girl's body, and motioned for her to sit down on the soft white sheets. Konan had no choice but to obey, if she didn't want a piece of metal in her body. Slowly, she moved onto the bed, sitting down between her ankles. Dean pulled away, his bedroom eyes not leaving Konan as he pulled out handcuffs from under the mattress.

Bending Konan's hands behind her, he put the handcuffs around her wrists, double-locking them. He then knelt on the soft gray carpet, his eyes running up and down the chained girl. He ran his hand across her collarbone, simply smirking at the glare cast at him, and bent closer.

Thoughts were racing through Konan's mind, struggling to think up an escape plan as Dean's mouth ran along her body, the strong hands playing with her bra straps.

_Who was he? What did he want? What would happen afterwards? _Konan had clenched her eyes shut, the possible answers to the last question making her feel like throwing up. Dean had just unhooked the bra and pushed it up, his kisses covering the girl's chest, while his hand slowly slid across her flat stomach, down to the hem of her panties.

Konan's eyes flew open, having to bite her lip to keep the hiss inside her as the man touched her privates, rubbing them. _Take your hands off of me, motherfucker! _she wanted to scream, but knew that it would be of no use. She'd only get slapped.

Swallowing disgust, she took advantage of the man focusing on other things and shifted a little, till her fingers reached the heel of her leather shoe, a few inches from her hand. Pulling out the bobby pin hidden in it, she bent the sharper end with one hand and put it in the keyhole of the handcuffs she found after a little fumbling.

She then bent the pin the opposite way, her eyes nervously glancing down at the man to see whether he had noticed anything. Dean was still busy molesting his boobs, sucking them as though he were a few months old. The gun was lying within reach on the ground, next to the man.

If she got out of this alive, Konan swore she would wash every inch of her body, rub it and scrub it until her skin was raw and there wasn't a single trace of the man left. Looking up at the ceiling in a prayer, Konan moved the pin around in the keyhole, searching for the right angel.

Her fingers were trembling as she moved it around, every second feeling like a sharp knife tracing her neck. Any time now, the man could look up at her face and understand what she was doing behind her back. She was still sitting between her ankles on the bed, and should the man like to change that, she would been screwed.

Beads of sweat had broken out on her forehead as she cursed every futile attempt at unlocking the handcuffs. She didn't risk looking behind at her hands, knowing that it would've blown her cover. Her mind was coming up with prayers of all kinds, directed at different Gods, the Satan and mother Earth.

She didn't even hear the man moaning as he zipped his own pants open, preparing himself for the upcoming ride. If she had, she would've probably lost her nerve completely and puked all over his white shirt. The man had just placed his arms on Konan's hips, ready to lift her up, when suddenly, Konan felt the handcuffs clicking open, releasing one of her arms. Her whole body tensed, when she heard the sound, afraid that Dean had heard it as well.

Involuntarily, she glanced at him, not sure what her face was saying. The man, still being on his knees, halted for a moment, his gaze reflecting confusion as his eyes locked with Konan's. _He__ would understand._ Deciding that there was no going back now, Konan quickly brought her hands in front of her, hitting the man on his head with her elbow and then going straight for the left eye with her finger.

Dean fell backwards on the ground, one hand covering his eye, the other hand fumbling the ground for the pistol. Gasping as the adrenalin ran through her veins, Konan jumped to her feet, glancing at the man struggling to get up from the ground. It had probably gone black for the man, but the effect would last only for a moment.

Hesitating briefly, she wanted to grab the gun on the ground herself, but the man's hand had already come across it, taking away the option. Moving quickly, Konan started for the door, managing to dodge the bullet just shot randomly in the air. She caught glimpse of the man getting up, still holding his head, when she rushed out of the room, her heart lurching around in her chest.

The man's loud swears reached her as she ran down the stairs on her heels, hearing the bedroom door swing closed and open again, the man staggering out. She leapt down the spiraling stairs, making hair way to the lighted living room. There was another shot; and another, and Konan had no idea where the bullets ended up in, she just prayed it wasn't her body.

The living room was still the same way it had been half an hour before. Without halting, Konan sped right towards the couch, grabbing the man's jacket draped over the back and started for the door, when there was another shot.

This one Konan felt. Things seemed to slow down around her as she swirled around, the man's deafening shouting echoing around the room. She gasped as pain burst through her arm, making her drop the jacket and grab a hold of her palm where she'd been shot.

The man had stopped on the stairs to take aim and was now smiling widely, starting for the girl again. Konan saw this, forcing herself to start moving. Gritting her teeth, she tried to shove the pain away as she let go of her palm and snapped the jacket up from the floor.

She leaped towards the door, the five meters between the couch and it seeming like kilometers as she could almost feel the man right on her heel. Reaching out for the doorknob, she twisted it desperately, knowing that should she not be able to open it, she would be dead.

Fortunately it did, the door flying open with a bang. The full moon in the sky showing her the way, Konan ran out into the dark front yard, the man's jacket hanging under her arm. Cold night air brushed against her bare skin as she was still only wearing her lingerie, her thin lace stockings doing only so much to keep her warm. Her unhooked black bra was hanging awkwardly from her shoulders, as she pressed her injured hand against her chest to keep it from falling down.

Leaning on her still functioning left hand, she plunged over the closed gate. Despite the circumstances, she landed gracefully on the thick ground, her heels leaving marks in it as she sucked in her breath. At the same time, the front door swung open again, the man shooting a few more times in the air, shouting after her, "BITCH! WHORE! I WILL KILL YOU, SLUT!"- as she was already running down the road in the direction she knew they had come from.

She had difficulty breathing as she continued to go on, not daring to stop in case the man would come after her in his car. The throbbing pain in her hand made her feel hot and cold at the same time, her teeth clattering rapidly because of the adrenalin running through her veins.

The man wouldn't leave it at that; she knew that he would come after her now, and if that was true, she'd be done for. Literally dead. Desperation started to take over her as she panted for air, her lungs burning like fire inside of her.

Konan felt her eyes starting to tear up from the cold, the freezing air pinching her skin. Having only her own legs to count on, the road seemed to go on forever. The high heels didn't make it any easier; she felt like everything inside of her was being crushed, in spite of all her training in the past.

_In the past… _The first tear ran down her pale cheek as she thought about those words, forcing her feet to move on, even though she could hardly feel them anymore. She looked down, the ground moving past so fast it made her dizzy.

Had things been like they used to be, she would've had Deidara to back her up right about now. The man would've been lying drugged in his garage, his whole house empty of furniture. Even though a lot of things had changed, this hadn't – Konan knew she wouldn't make it alone. She was still dependent on her brother.

The feeling of abandonment took more out of her than a bullet ever could. It left her feeling empty and breathless, comparable to being kicked in the gut repeatedly. She could hardly hold herself from falling to pieces.

Sucking in a breath, she turned around a corner, coming to a stop in front of a tall brown gate. The roads were empty, the street lights lining it lightening the way. The windows of the private houses were all dark though, making the place look even more deserted.

Konan pressed against the wooden gate, casting her look down, her whole body shivering so rapidly for a moment she thought she was going into shock. Holding the jacket between her knees, she hooked the bra, her trembling hands, one of them injured and bleeding, making it more difficult than it would've been under normal circumstances.

Taking the jacket from between her knees, she put it on her, careful not to hurt her right hand any more than needed. The blood was flowing down it in ribbons, tracing to her fingers and dripping onto the ground. She had no way to stop the bleeding at the moment; her only hope was to get back to school as soon as possible.

Slipping her functioning hand into a pocket of the jacket, she found it hard to move her fingers; they were completely frozen. Rummaging all the pockets, she came across the damn checkbook she'd put her life on the line for, and a pack of cigarettes, before finally finding what she'd been looking for – an iPhone in the inner pocket.

Unlocking the screen with shivering fingers, she'd already began dialing, when realization thundered through her, making her stop.

She'd began dialing Deidara's number, but the boy's words slammed through her head, repeating like a broken record. _The past life is behind us, and it will __stay __there. It's over. The farthest I will go is what the Akatsuki do, nothing more. _This was definitely not within the limits.

A part of her knew that Deidara would never leave her, if he knew that her life was on the line; he'd never let anyone hurt her. But at the same time, a louder and bitterer voice yelled at her to come to her senses. She _knew _Deidara; the boy never went back on his word.

Konan slid down against the gate, wrapping the hand holding the cell around her knees. She knew it would've been rational to at least give it a try, but she also knew that she couldn't take rejection. She would collapse, fall to pieces, _suffocate_. She couldn't handle it.

Her cold hand clamping around the cell, she looked around, anxiously biting her lip. As far as the eye could see, there were only posh houses with large yards and narrow roads stretching into the distance, leading the way in different directions.

Despite what he'd said earlier, would Deidara still go out of his way to rescue her? she couldn't help but wonder. Once again, her breath caught in her throat, when images of her brother being happy with Sasori flooded her mind. She couldn't admit it to herself; she'd been replaced.

Her chest feeling tight with emotion, she slid her finger across the screen of the phone, dialing a number she'd never called before. Quickly rising to her feet when she heard a car approaching, she glanced around the corner, catching sight of a car's bright headlights nearing. Gasping, she turned around and started running again.

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><p>Eyes on the ground and hands in pockets, Pein wandered around the school, not really paying attention to where he was going. A few groups of his friends had run up to him, inviting him to another party held in hell knows whose dorm room. Someone must've gotten their hands on a few stacks of beer and had now called the whole <em>in-<em>group together to celebrate.

Pein had merely raised his head at the invitation and, acting very uncharacteristically, waved his friends off, making up a random excuse for his disinterest. After the encounter, he'd began choosing his routes more wisely, finally ending up in his empty bedroom.

Swinging the door shut after himself, he collapsed on the bed, folding his arms under his head. After his roommate's graduation last spring, he had the whole room for himself. Being the type of person who always has places to go and people to see, he rarely tended to spend time here, stepping inside only to sleep.

His eyes traced along the boring yellow walls of the room, while the thoughts reeling through him made him feel slightly uneasy. One certain girl had been the centre of his attention for over a week now, messing him up pretty drastically and being the main reason of his unusual behavior.

He'd fall silent mid-sentence during conversations when she passed by, only took gaze after her as she disappeared into a classroom. Often her mere presence was enough to leave him breathless and people around him had to repeat what they'd just said, only to understand that he hadn't been paying attention again.

Fortunately it was excusable for him; _everything _was excusable for one when they were the leader of the town's top gang. People loved and hated, feared and looked up to him; there was never anything wrong with his behavior, rather other people were being irrational.

He smiled a little at the white ceiling, finding the thoughts soothing. The smile died, however, when the flashbacks of Konan continued and suddenly, he realized how little his fame mattered to him at that moment. His eyes narrowed and he frowned, a brief feeling of dependence washing over him.

How could he have lost it so quickly? The parties, Akatsuki, everything seemed to pale into insignificance whenever she crossed his mind. Scratch that, she was always there, blocking out everything else to make room for his new thoughts about her new clothes, different expressions and sentences he'd heard her say. She was becoming an obsession of his, if she wasn't one already.

But the more aware he'd become of her, the more he'd begun noticing things; like the way her expressions changed, when she was talking to somebody, and when she glanced at him.

It wasn't even her expression that changed - she was always smiling and laughing around people - but the look in her eyes, when she noticed something.

Those observations had led him to second-guess himself. Who was the girl, really? What was she like in a different crowd, in a different environment? What was she like alone?

Pein wasn't even sure why he cared, when a few weeks ago, all he'd been interested in was the more intimate contact, when it came down to girls. He liked to explain it to himself with the strange feeling he got around her - that she wasn't what she appeared to be and that was making him curious.

Yeah, that was half of the truth; he knew. Letting out a breath, he scraped his hair back in slight frustration. He was aware of what it was; he hadn't been born yesterday. He was in love.

Personally, he liked to look at it as an illness – he had the symptoms, he was sick and it would take two weeks max to recover. There was no medicine, but he would live. And after he'd get over her…

Pein gave an irritated sigh, thinking about yet another lecture by Sasori he'd be forced to listen to. The guy couldn't get over himself; just because he'd found someone to play with for a little longer didn't mean that everybody should've abandoned all their fun in life as well. Who the hell was he to come telling him how to live?

The cell phone in his pocket started vibrating, scaring him and making him jump up, the frown disappearing from his face. Hurriedly, he whipped out the device, checking the caller ID before answering. There was none, only an unfamiliar number. He hit the green button.

"Pein speaking."

There was some white noise in the background, someone's heavy breathing reaching him in a rough quality. The person calling was either running or just shaking the mobile phone fiercely. No one spoke though.

His eyebrows drawing together again, he said, "Hello? Who's this?" Had someone dialed the wrong number or what? Why weren't they answering?

"Nagato!" a girl breathed, making Pein's heart skip a beat, his expression clearing at once. He would've recognized the voice anywhere. Konan. "Nagato, you have to help me!"

Her voice sounded desperate and she was panting, sounding exhausted. Pein tensed up. Dozens of different scenarios of what could have been happening reeled through him, each one stirring up anxiety in him and the need to see the girl in person. What could've been happening? What was wrong?

He was already on his feet when he spoke again, grabbing his jacket and making his way out of the dorm room. "Where are you?" he asked, his voice firm. He dashed to the largest hallway in the boys' dormitory and pushed through a door with a blinking sign, which read Exit, on it.

Konan blew out a sharp breath and he thought he heard her whimper, although it could've been only his imagination. He wanted her to answer right away, to tell him what was happening, but he couldn't bring himself to form the question.

Running down the staircase to the emergency exit – the only exit available after midnight - he waited anxiously for the reply. The dim flickering lights showed him the way to the door and he forced it open. He was greeted by a cold breeze blowing into his face as the girl finally spoke again.

"I'm the hot girl running down the Main street, dressed in black lingerie and an expensive looking leather jacket. Can't miss me."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry about this being uploaded so late. I've been kind of busy with attending school, modelling and writing._

_I have some bad news also - I'm going to take a break with this fic. From uploading, not writing of course. I want to write approx 10 chapters in advance, before I start uploading again. And this is not about me being lazy, seriously, I'm always writing - ask anyone. But having no chaps ready in advance and having to rush to get them done in time just puts me under a lot of pressure. I don't like it and that's a bad thing, since all the chapters depend on the authors' mood._

_I've explained my reasons, so now you can go and read on. Also, please do not ask me how long the break might last for - I have no idea. But I'll try to make it as short as possible, promise._

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

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><p>A black motorcycle sped down the road faster than wind blowing during monsoon. Light coming from various street lamps reflected off the driver's tinted helmet, making it impossible to see his face. The streets were practically empty, much to the driver's luck, with only a few meowing stray cats giving away that he wasn't alone in the city. Shifting his body, he turned around a corner.<p>

That's when the sight came into his view; a black car standing a few hundred meters away in the middle of the road with its lights on. He could vaguely make out two figures moving quickly next to the vehicle. _It's got to be her, _he thought, bolting towards them.

As he neared, he became certain about one of the figures being Konan. She was running straight towards him, her eyes glued to him. Her face looked almost blue, blood covering her neck and body, which looked beaten up. Her one leg seemed to be injured, and yet she continued to go on, wearing her high heels.

Momentarily, Pein glanced at the other figure. He didn't recall ever seeing him before. It was a man, certainly past the age thirty, wearing a jacket over his naked upper part of the body. He had his hand reached out, holding something silvery in his hand.

A loud shot pierced through the dark night and Pein felt himself freeze as he screeched to a halt. The man had a gun. Oh _shit. What the fuck was going on? Why was Konan here running from the man?_

"Nagato!"

Konan's yell made Pein jerk his head towards her, snapping out of the frozen state. He had to move. Konan reached him, climbing onto the motorcycle. She wrapped her one hand around his waist, squeezing tightly.

"Move!" she cried, her voice high and husky. Pein didn't have to be told twice. Kicking the clutch, he turned them around, driving back the same way he'd come from. He'd pushed the shade on his helmet up, the wind blowing straight to his face now.

He felt Konan shift behind him, her hand still strongly holding onto him. The touch was somewhat soothing; he could relax a little with knowing that she was right there. He didn't question this feeling at the moment, finding the escape a little more important.

He was just about to turn around the corner, when there was another shot, this time much louder. Fear spiked through him as he dreaded the moment he would feel Konan's grip loosening and her falling down. Paling, he glanced behind, dreading what he might see.

Konan was looking behind as well, her hand reached out. Pein caught sight of the man falling down. His breath caught in his throat; Konan was holding a gun as well. The wind lashed at her blue hair, flipping it in random directions as she turned back, tucking the gun away in the inner pocket of the jacket.

Pein's eyes were wide, when they met hers for a moment, but he had to turn away quickly, in order to not crash into a tree. His hands were sweaty around the grips. Behind the purple lips and bluish white skin, covered with blood, there was something more; he'd seen something much different. Konan had been smiling, her eyes had been dancing with _joy_. Just for a second.

Pein pulled up in front of Solaris, the mall he and the rest of the Akatsuki used to hang out, finding Konan to be too big of a mess to show up at school. He left the motorcycle in the parking lot and led Konan through an unlocked backdoor to the basement floor.

Neither of them said anything for a while, Konan falling behind as Pein showed the way through the empty hallways under the mall. Pein was still shocked from what had happened, but he hid the expression behind the stoic mask he copied off Sasori.

He didn't look behind to see whether Konan was still there, afraid to put himself in an awkward situation, where he'd be afraid of a girl. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop himself from halting every now and then to listen whether Konan's footsteps could still be heard. The irregularity of the tapping of her heels gave away that she was limping.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Pein halted once again, listening. There was no sound, only silence. Frowning, he swung around, finding Konan still standing on top of the stairs, reluctantly gazing down. Pein raised his eyebrows, casting her a questioning look.

"Aren't you coming?"

Konan's eyebrows lowered as she took a step lower, her face cringing up in a grimace. She took another, and another, slowly making her way downwards. Pein watched her as she leaned on the wall for support, her teeth sinking deeper and deeper into her lower lip.

Giving a low sigh, he walked up to meet her halfway on the stairs. He took her hand gently, holding the soft frozen fingers cautiously as though they were made of porcelain. She raised her gaze to meet his, pain reflecting from hers.

"May I?" Pein asked politely, looking the girl straight in the eyeball. Her expression was difficult to read, as opposed to most of the female open books he saw on daily basis. There were so many emotions mixed on her face; something that he'd noticed before as well. However, guessing her following reaction proved not to be so hard.

She remained silent, her eyebrows lowering in an obvious '_no'. _He could hear her voice so clearly in his imagination, using the furious, irritated tone to snap at him and tell him to go find something else to worry about. It was weird, since the only time he'd heard her speak like that had been in the amusement park.

He gave a low chuckle, finding his own thoughts entertaining. A small smile flashed across his face as he raised his eyebrows in amusement, bowing slightly and pressing his lips against the back of the girl's hand, without breaking the eye contact.

"You've already asked for my help once. One more time won't make a difference, my lady."

Konan sighed and gave a slow nod, staying still as Pein put his arms around her shoulders and legs, lifting her up. She shifted a little, Pein catching sight of another grimace as she moved her right hand from between them and placed it on her lap.

"Your arm is hurting," Pein stated, starting to walk down the stairs. He kept his eyes in front of him, but glanced at the girl when asking: "What happened?"

Konan made a face and looked away, her pose obviously defensive. "Nothing," she muttered, then stated a little louder: "I'm fine."

Pein gave a humorless snort, looking away as well. "Yeah, that's why I'm carrying you."

Konan cast him a deadly look, shifting her body as though she was trying to get off onto the ground. Pein's hold tightening around her made her escape futile and she gave up, sulking quietly. Not once did she move her head to meet the boy's gaze, her eyes staying glued to the gray wall next to her.

Pein sighed again, stopping in front of a stained-glass door at the bottom of the stairs. He gazed at the handle, trying to think up an ingenious idea to push it down, without having to put Konan on the ground. His eyes flickered to the girl, searching for assistance, but the girl ignored his existence completely. He sighed again.

Taking a step back, he bent backwards, throwing his foot in the air and making it land on the handle. Struggling to keep his balance, he pushed the door open and stepped quickly in, before it could close. He managed just in the nick of time, making it through without hitting the girl's head or legs against the wall.

He felt slightly proud, a small smile spreading across his lips as he glanced at Konan. A dark cloud was hovering above the girl's head, lightning and heavy rain symbolizing her mood. Pein's smile died. He averted his eyes from her and kept walking.

He proceeded down the hallway, glancing at both walls to find an open door. Closed wooden doors, labeled with numbers cut out of metal, lined the corridor. He noticed a door hanging open a few meters away and felt relieved when he pushed in, shoving the door closed behind them.

It was a medium-sized bedroom with a queen-sized bed, pushed against the wall, standing in the middle of it. There was a white door leading to the bathroom in the left wall, and a chest of drawers on the right side of the room.

Pein walked further in, setting Konan softly down on the bed. The girl still didn't look at him. Pein regarded her for a moment, before sighing and sitting down beside her. He cleared his throat.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry if I said anything that upset or insulted you. I didn't mean to and-"

"No, it's fine," Konan cut him off, her eyes looking in the opposite direction to Pein. "You did nothing wrong. Sorry for causing you trouble," she said and started unzipping her boots. Pein watched her, eyebrows raised, as she slid them off, revealing a pair of horribly bruised feet. The dark color showed through her black stockings. Her right arm was painted dark red with blood. Pein winced involuntarily.

Konan saw it and turned her head towards him, smiling pleasantly. "Sorry," she apologized again, her eyes and expression the same way they were at school. Pein had already labeled it the good-girl mask, just like he had made up a name for the murderous side of her. What her real personality was like, he didn't have a clue. A mix of those two sides, perhaps? "You don't have to see this, you can go. I'm fine. And I certainly owe you one, or two. Whenever you need anything, let me know."

The way she said it, made it feel like she was dismissing Pein. _Yeah, you can get going now. _Pein thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head, smiling. No, there was no way he was going to leave it like this. "I'll never be able to get inside without anyone noticing," he said, making up the most believable lie he could muster. To his ears, it sounded honest. "I'm staying."

Konan gave him one single glance, before going back to working her shoes off. She was looking away, her blue hair hiding her face, but that one second had been enough for Pein to know what her expression said. Her smile had died; she would've preferred to be left alone.

Mentally, Pein smiled widely and sadistically. Yeah, sure she would have preferred that, but she'd already given away too much. Sooner or later, she would give away all of it, Pein was sure of it. Breaking a woman was kind of his specialty.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_****Ok, I know what I said earlier about wanting to write 10 chapters in advance yada yada. The truth is, atm, I have 2 finished and the third one is still in progress. But I'm feeling down and figures that posting a chapter would cheer me up a notch. _

_I guess I'll be posting chapters in a new pattern - one chapter needs to be done in advance. Uhh... I'd be really glad to get some feedback. And if anyone feels like chatting, it'd be great~~_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"You don't have to see this, you can go. I'm fine. And I certainly owe you one, or two. Whenever you need anything, let me know," Konan said in a saccharine voice, her eyes looking into Pein's with a pleasant glint in them. She had stopped working off her boots for a moment, waiting for the boy to take his leave.

Pein smiled and shook his head in an easygoing manner. "I'll never be able to get inside without anyone noticing," he said, his gaze on his knees. "I'm staying."

Konan sensed her own expression changing and turned her head away quickly, hiding behind her hair. Her fingers slid down the black boot, zipping it open and throwing it onto the ground. _Bastard, you're lying. The same door you most probably used to exit will open no matter the time, if you turn the knob left. Don't lie, if you can't make it convincing!_

She stood up, limping to the dresser and pulling open the drawers one by one. She found a towel and a white cotton nightgown among countless sex toys that made her roll her eyes. Pulling out the stuff she needed, she swung around and walked over to the bathroom.

"Suit yourself, Nagato," she said to Pein over her shoulder. Opening the white door, she turned around and stared at the boy, who had lain down on the bed. Her eyes narrowed. "But should you come in, I swear I'll shoot you," she threatened, flashing the gun tucked in the inner pocket of the jacket.

Pein sat up in a rush, his expression as though he'd sighted a ghost. His eyes drilled into the girl, trying to find something to give away her real intentions, while Konan stood there motionless, without blinking. Her eyes narrowed, simultaneously with Pein's widening eyes.

The intense silence lasted for only a moment, before Konan cracked up, laughing a sincerely amused sound. "I'm joking," she said, her eyes mocking the way Pein had tensed up. The smile stayed on her face as she turned around, stepping into the bathroom. Before closing the door, she twisted her neck and said over her shoulder: "No, but seriously – _do not come in, _capish?"

She pulled the door shut after herself, dropping the jacket on the ground as she made her way to the full length mirror. She slid off her stockings and stripped out of the lingerie to be able to give her body a full examination.

Her face looked almost okay, apart from the messy strands that ruined the image. There were bruises on her neck that traced down to her shoulder, left by Dean's teeth. Konan shuddered as she ran her finger across them. It felt disgusting.

Her legs were completely covered with bruises below the knee, making it clear that she wouldn't be wearing heels for at least two weeks. It would be inconvenient, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Her right hand was looking more horrible than anything else; all the blood that she'd lost had dried out, painting her palm dark red.

Walking over to the bathtub, she turned the tab on, letting cold water pour down on her bruised legs. After cleaning her hand, she could see that the bullet had gone straight through it – no sign of the piece of metal anymore.

Konan searched the bathroom counter and found a first aid kit in it. Knowing there would be no way for her to stitch the wound there, she settled for a bandage wrapped around her arm. Swallowing a pain killer she took in with water, she put on her underwear again, sliding on the ridiculous looking nightgown.

When she got back to the bedroom, she found Pein lying lazily across the whole bed. He'd kicked off his shoes and had his legs crossed, his hands folded under his head. His eyelids were closed.

Konan frowned and crossed the room to the dresser, folding the towel neatly and placing it on top of it with her stockings.

"I hope you're not lunatic enough to dream of sleeping in that bed tonight," Konan said, turning around and leaning against the dresser. Her feet hurt like hell and body felt weak, like she was going to collapse any moment, but she wasn't going to lie down on the same bed with the boy. She'd almost gotten raped that night, a shared bed wasn't something she was longing for at the moment.

"Why not?" Pein murmured in a tired voice. His lips barely moved as he talked, closing as soon as the last word had been voiced.

Konan sighed impatiently, scraping her hair back. She was way too tired for an argument. "Because I'm not going to sleep in the same bed with you." _I don't need to explain myself to you, damn bastard._

Pein cracked a smile. "Why not?"

Konan pushed herself away from the dresser, stepping closer to the bed. "Just get_ off the bed!" _she almost yelled, her voice uncharacteristically weak. "Get off!"

Pein's eyes flew open instinctively, afraid that the girl would punch him in the gut or something. Fortunately, that was not the case. Yet. Konan was simply standing by the bed, her fists clenched and body shivering. She looked enraged.

Pein stared at her for a moment. No matter how appealing granting her wishes seemed, sleeping on the floor was definitely not an option. "You know, you should treat me nicer. I could actually get you arrested."

Despite her conditions, Konan gave a sharp chuckle. With her past, the thought of someone, _anyone _getting her arrested seemed too amusing. "_You? _And what, may I ask, am I being accused of?"

Pein raised his eyebrows, as though the answer was obvious. "An hour ago, you shot a man, probably killing him. You're carrying around an unauthorized gun that you like to threaten people with. The rest I'm still working to find out."

"That _man _tried to rape me and me shooting him was merely an act of self-defence. I didn't kill him, I didn't hit any vitals. If he's going to die, it'll be because of the loss of blood and that isn't my problem anymore. I'm not carrying around an unauthorized gun, either – the gun was in his pocket and belongs to him, I burrowed it for self-defence. I'll return it to the police tomorrow – no crime committed," Konan finished in a rush, her head swimming. She leaned against the wall for support. "Now get off of the bed!"

Pein shook his head. "I went out of my way to come save you at midnight, I _think _I deserve a good night's sleep at the very least." His tone turned harsher and harsher, until it was almost poisonous. "You'd be goners, if it weren't for me. You girls need to get over yourselves, it isn't always about you. Men weren't designed to save you –"

That hit a nerve. "You don't know shit about girls!" Konan yelled, her eyes sparkling with a deadly glint. "You only know how to fuck them and that's not something you need brains for – even apes can do it. NOW GET THE FUCK OFF THE BED!"

Pein sat up in a rush, all hints of humor gone from his face. The girl really knew how to test someone's patience. "That's taking it too far," he said, standing up from the bed and standing in front of the girl. Without her heels, Konan was about four inches shorter than him. "If you're such an _angel, _why did you even call me? Why not call Deidara or someone else you could relate to?"

Konan paled, taking a step back and falling quiet. _Because you're the only one who I knew would come for me. _She wasn't going to say that, it felt devastating even thinking it. Konan looked down on the floor, averting her eyes from the boy.

"Now I'm giving you a choice: you can either share the bed with me and sleep on the other side – note that the bed is large enough for the two of us, we don't even have to touch – or you can go your own way," he said, crossing his arms and staring down at the girl.

There was a minute of intense silence. "I'll take the left side," Konan finally muttered, circling around the boy and crawling under the blanket.

Pein smiled and turned around as well. "Good girl."

-x-

Pein slept deeply that night. Partly because the events had worn him out, and partly because the bed was just comfy as hell. Really, couldn't be compared to the bed back at the school dormitory. When rolling over to his back, Pein was already half-awake. He spread his arms out over the entire width of the bed. That was when he realized that something was amiss.

He opened his left eye, lazily taking in the surroundings. His gaze halted at the girl standing in front of the bed. Pein felt his mouth stretch out in a broad smile.

Naked above waist, Konan bent forward to slide on a pair of gray skinny jeans. Naturally, Pein's other eye went open as well and moved to the part of Konan's body that wasn't covered with clothes. The girl was rather skinny, although it didn't show on her chest. Pein couldn't help thinking what it would feel like to touch it.

"Three more seconds and you're going to wish your mother was still a virgin," Konan said in a low voice, walking over to the chest of drawers and putting on her bra.

Pein smiled and sat up, turning his head away. "You always have a way with the words, I'll give you that. Where did you get the clothes from? Went shopping in the nightgown?"

Konan gave a snort, pulling on a black T-shirt and a red hoodie. "I burrowed them from the girl down the hallway."

Pein quirked an eyebrow. "You stole them? That's low."

Konan put on a pair of bright yellow sneakers, tying the laces. "_No, _I _burrowed _them," she insisted, her voice steady. "I left a note with the date and address of where she could get them back."

"Oh yeah? Well, what's she going to wear in the meantime?"

Konan shrugged, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "Not my problem. Maybe her _boyfriend, _or whoever it was in the bed next to her,will buy her something to wear from upstairs. We are under a mall, are we not?"

Pein didn't know how to response to that. The girl's ways amazed him, the same time they felt so wrong. Staying quiet, he gazed at the girl as she took the gun and a paper pad from the pockets of the shot man's jacket, and slung the jacket over her shoulder. Seeing as she was about to leave, Pein got up as well and followed her out of the room.

Neither of them spilling a word, they walked back up the stairs and out of the mall. The exit door opened to a parking lot, Pein's black motorcycle standing in the middle of the empty plot. Konan ditched the jacket in the trash can and turned to walk away.

Pein twisted his neck to look after her. "Wait! Where're you going?"

Konan halted and looked back over her shoulder. She gave him a small playful smile. "That's my business. See you later."

Shoving his hands into the pockets, he watched as she turned around the corner, her walk as graceful as ever. Sighing, he started for his motorcycle, kicking it to life and roaming off. He chose a random route, wandering around the city without a destination.

He didn't want to go back to school; having to explain everything would've been too much at the moment. He didn't know what to tell Sasori, he didn't know what to say to Deidara. He didn't even know if he _should _say anything to them.

Basically, what he'd witnessed was a _murder. _It was true that he couldn't be exactly sure whether the guy was dead or not, but he had fallen down. The ironic part was that it wasn't the act that he was worried about, but the consequences.

_Shit, _that wasn't how things were supposed to be! Pein kept flashing to the playfully smiling Konan waving him goodbye, getting his blood up. You couldn't just kill people and then brush it off! He didn't know what conditions Konan had grown up in, but here, the police did a pretty good work at putting people in jail.

They didn't bother with small cases, or the Akatsuki, but this was something that they would investigate. How many years would you get for a murder? Twenty? Thirty? That's wasting a life.

Squeezing the grips, he let out a low hiss, turning to a side road. This was too much to cope with, even for him. It irritated him to remember the indifferent expression Konan had worn when he'd mentioned the act. Damn, didn't she care _at all about _what was going to happen to her? How could she be so careless when playing with people's lives _and _their own?

And the _smile _when she'd pulled the trigger. It was as though she'd _enjoyed _pulling the trigger, shooting the man, watching him _fall- _Suddenly, realization hit Pein, piercing through his body like a bolt of ice. She knew, she was _sure _that she'd killed him, that's what had caused the burst of joy. She knew she was a murderer and she enjoyed the thought.

Pein shook his head, wishing he could take off the helmet and let the wind blow straight to his face. This was not right. This was not the girl that had sat beside him on her first day; not the smiling, gorgeous, _sexy _yet lovely female. Or rather the girl from _that_ day had not been real. It had been a show.

Pein wanted to scream. He _still _hadn't reached the core of his own feelings. This wasn't what irked him. It wasn't what she'd done, it was the _chance _that she could be put in jail. Pein didn't care about the murdered man, he didn't care about the lost life in the least. People died every day. That man could die a million times more without Pein giving a damn.

It was the _chance _that Konan could be taken away, before he could get to know her. He wanted to find a way to help her, to keep her out of trouble, even though he doubted that would be possible.

She was two-faced, or there could've been even more of those faces. Pein wanted there to be more of the masks, and he wanted to learn _all_ of them. Who was she? Who was _Konan?_

Pein could hear voices from up ahead. Blinking, he snapped back to reality, taking in his surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, he'd turned to the Main street, the same one where he'd found Konan last night.

The traffic was unusually heavy and he soon found himself caught in a traffic jam where cars didn't move at all. What the fuck? Coming to a stop, he put his foot on the ground, trying to see over the cars for the cause of the holdup.

All he could see were the lines of cars going on for what seemed like miles. They stretched on as far as the eye could see, maddening honking filling the air.

Getting off the bike, Pein walked over to one car, knocking on the tinted window. It was rolled down, revealing a bald man with a tattooed head. He twisted the knob on the radio down a notch as Pein took off his helmet.

"What's going on?" Pein asked, motioning towards the line of cars blocking the way in front of them.

The driver snapped the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Not sure, dude," he said, the slang and casual tone he used making him seem younger than he looked. "On the radio, they keep talking about a crime scene. Say there is a dead dude they found and the police are investigating it."

Pein paled, feeling all the colour leave his face. He couldn't stop the sudden shudder that slid down his back, spreading throughout his body and making him feel cold. He'd known this would be the most likely outcome, but it hadn't sunk in until now. She'd killed him.

The man didn't think too much of the change in the boy's expression, putting it down to his inexperienced youth. "Yeah, shocking, I know," he admitted, nodding understandingly. "Probably some gang getting revenge. Like the Akatsuki or what were they called again?" He put the cigarette into his mouth, sucking in the smoke.

Pein averted his eyes to the ground, kicking a pebble in front of him under the car. This couldn't be happening.

"Ya know them?" the man called for his attention again, tapping the cigarette against the door. "The Akatsuki?"

Pein shifted his gaze to look into the distance. "Ehh... Yeah, I've heard of them."

The man gave a despicable snort. "A bunch of puppies in diapers, I say. Some big fellow took away their ice cream and they had to go bump them off straight away. Kids," he muttered. Cocking his head out of the window and looking in the same direction as Pein, he added: "I don't think they'll finish this soon. Could take up to many more hours. You on a scoot, am I right?"

Pein nodded, motioning towards the black motorcycle standing a few meters behind. The man stared in acknowledgement. "That's quite a bike you've got there, boy. That hasn't been bought for any scholarship money."

Pein grinned slyly, his expression making the man laugh.

"Ha, far from that. I'm switching my bet to a rich admirer, I think," the man said, winking. Pein laughed it off. The truth was that he'd won it in yet another late-night street car race organized by Tobi and Zetsu. He wasn't going to tell the man that, just like he wasn't going to tell him that he was the leader _puppy_ in a diaper.

The man's interest in the motorbike seemed genuine though. "Tell me," he said, his gaze still not leaving the vehicle. "How fast does it go from 0 to the ton?"

Pein shrugged his shoulder. "Two point nine sec."

The man nodded again, rubbing his chin. "Listen to what I'll say to you. Climb onto that scoot and drive away, find a side street that will lead you to your destination. You stay here, you'll be here till evening. Ya hear me?"

Pein nodded. The man gave a nod in return and rolled up the window. Pein turned around and casually walked to his bike. The man had given him things to think about. It hadn't even occurred to him that the police would start accusing the Akatsuki first, if something like this happened.

They had to be ready. Inform Zetsu, inform Sasori. Protect the Akatsuki, protect _Konan. _Pein hit the clutch.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	8. Chapter 8

****_Since I really felt like posting sth and this is the only chapter I have ready, here we go~~ ^^ I can't help, but spill some truth here... I'm kinda feeling bad about bitching about reviews in chap.. um.. 2? Lol. Looking back now, it didn't really seem wise... but what's done, is done, I guess. Why the hell do I need to keep worrying about stuff like this?_

_BTW, check out this song - The diary of a criminal of passion by Terminaator (you can find it on this account - YamiSkydomYay). It's actually a song in Estonian, but there's English translation~~ and yes, it's on my account xD BUT THE SONG IS A YANDERE SONG (even though the author probs didn't mean it that way) AND IT'S REALLY COOL. Lol. Also, if you do check it out, comment (please?) and say that you're from ff, so I'd know you listened to it ^^ Ofc this isn't a must, I'm just asking... very... nicely... and non-bitchily. _

_Also, I know I'm acting way OOC, but I felt the need to say this: THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO IS STILL READING THIS FIC. It really means a lot ^_^ I feel bad for keeping you waiting for so long, but this is as fast as I can go -_-' sorry. Anyways, here's the chap: (I hope you like it)_

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

"Perfect!" Karin yelled from her seat, writing something down in her notepad. She twiddled the pen in her hand once and then tapped it against the papers, announcing, "This is it for today, you're all dismissed."

Pein let out a relieved sigh and got up from the position he'd been in on the stage. As the students began filing out of the auditorium, he casually joined in, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He twisted around to see Karin standing behind him, her expression unusually solemn.

"Not you, Nagato. I need to speak with you. Please, come with me."

Pein followed her as she led him in the opposite direction to the exit. They went through the door on the left side of the stage, Pein gently pushing the door closed behind them. He looked up and saw Konan already waiting in the small office room.

She was sitting behind the desk, her legs crossed and eyes gazing out of the window. Even at the sound of the teacher entering she did not turn her head, giving away that she was in a rather bad mood. Pein was sure he was the only one who noticed, though, as it was nearly impossible to read anything off her, figuratively speaking, _masked_ face.

It was only when Karin cleared her throat next to her that she glanced up. Karin gave her a meaningful look and the girl nodded politely, getting up from the chair and letting her teacher have it. She circled around the desk and came to a stop across the teacher.

Pein wasn't sure what to make of it all and stepped closer, coming to a stop next to Konan. Suddenly, feeling very aware of the unfriendliness that radiated off the girl, he forced his eyes to stay on Karin. A thought that he couldn't push away questioned what on Earth he'd done this time to deserve this kind of treatment.

Karin coughed slightly, managing to catch Pein's attention thus fully. "What I wanted to speak to you about, and by _you _I obviously mean the both of you, was your acting today. And singing, in addition to that, everything together."

She paused for a moment, but seeing as the two weren't planning on speaking, she continued. "You're truly not into it. Why are you not into it?" she questioned direly, her hands crossed over her chest in a manner that demanded a plausible answer. Pein vaguely wondered whether this could've been the reason for her odd lack of enthusiasm.

Karin's eyes drilled into her students and they lowered their gazes, unable to give a straight answer. She shook her head, touching her forehead with her fingers in a manner of disbelief. "No, I feel that I must rephrase my sentence. It is not your acting that is lacking." She turned her head towards Konan, regarding her, "You did fairly well in the scene with oh-what-was-his-name-again dark-haired kid." - her attention shifted to Pein – "And your singing was excellent in the first act."

She gave a low sigh, her students looking up in disgrace. "The problem is," she moved her hands wide apart, then pushed them together as though she was pressuring something in between, "the acting _between_ you two."

Karin observed them quietly. "What is it? You can tell me," she urged in a conspiring tone. "Teenage problems? Disagreement on something? An awkward incident both of you would like to forget?"

Pein rolled his eyes. _You have no idea, _he thought, averting his gaze to settle on the bookshelf standing beside the wall. Konan gave a classy 'hmph' sound as she crossed her arms and looked out of the window again. Their gazes were directed in the opposite directions to each other. Between them, Karin was slowly dying.

"You're killing me here, you two. And what's worse," she spat angrily, slamming her fist against the desk, the pens on it jumping a little. Konan and Pein reluctantly looked at her again, neither frightened by the sudden outburst. "I can_not _replace you, because I _know _you can do so much better. For God's sake, I've _seen _it with my own eyes!" she exclaimed in frustration, leaning against the table with both her hands flat on it. There was visible fire in her glare.

Konan and Pein both blinked, their eyes widening. _If looks could kill._

Karin saw their reaction and flashed a small, yet full of satisfaction smile. She leaned back in her chair, tangling her fingers under her chin. "I get that you don't want to talk about whatever might've happened. But that only means that you'll have to work it out yourselves. Now, I'll meet you both on Saturday at 8 pm in the auditorium. Should you not show up, you're out. You fail to convince me there that you've still got it, you're out. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Konan muttered the same time Pein gave a small nod. Karin then looked away and flapped her hand in their faces, waving them away. "Okay, that's good. Leave me alone now, get lost."

Pein went and held the door open for Konan, who insolently marched through it without giving the boy one single glance. Pein pushed the door shut after her and rushed after the girl. "Wait!" he shouted, picking up pace to catch up with her as she walked on without halting for a moment. "Konan!"

Eyes narrowing, he grabbed her hand and swung her around, forcing her to a stop. Konan automatically batted his hand away, casting him a glare. "Hands off, bastard," she spat.

"Then wait for a second and listen!" Pein growled, clenching his hands into fists. The changing moods of this girl were driving him nuts! Just how many masks did she possess? Good girl, bad girl, _murderer… _"We need to talk."

Konan folded her arms over her chest. "No, we don't. We have nothing to say to each other."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Pein hissed through his teeth with mock politeness. He was losing it, he knew. Arguing like this was getting them nowhere, something had to change for the better soon. And God knew they had things to discuss.

"Fine," Konan said. "I'll give you one minute to get everything off your chest. Starting _now."_

Pein was dumbfounded for a moment, but that could only last for so long before he really felt like he'd had enough. "You're not the queen of Sheba, for fuck's sake!" To hell with the gentleman act, this girl was too much of a devil for that.

"Your _mom _isn't a _fucking _queen!" Konan shouted back, her hand aiming a punch in the redhead's face. Pein caught it with ease, swirling her around and twisting her hand back in a painful angle. Konan kicked her in the leg with her heel, breaking free without any trouble.

"Forty seconds left," she said, standing up straight with a stoic face as though nothing had just happened. Pein felt like hitting his head against something hard – she was a perfect copy of Deidara, only a lot more stubborn. And of course, God damn this life, Pein was attracted to her.

He pinched his noise, counting mentally to ten to regain his calmness. He let out an exhausted sigh. "Will you go out with me tonight?" he blurted out finally.

Konan's face showed sincere surprise, if there even could be anything _sincere _about her. It was soon replaced with a highly amused expression. "On a date? Tonight? With _you?" _she asked with insulting disbelief.

"Call it whatever you want."

Konan gave a short laugh. "Is 'pain chamber' a suitable name for the event?"

Pein decided to leave the comment at that. "All I'm asking of you is to have you for myself for one evening. I doubt you can't tolerate my company, or else you wouldn't have accepted the role of Rika." Involuntarily, the gentleman-tone had entered his voice without him realizing it. Too much practice of a habit and soon it will become impossible to get rid of it.

Konan thought it over in her head. Pein watched her weigh up her options, before her eyes locked with his as she'd made up her mind. "Alright, I will."

Pein got the feeling that she hadn't finished her sentence yet. "But…?" he pushed, waiting for her to spill all the conditions swirling around in her head at the moment.

She didn't seem to catch on, "But what?"

"You obviously have some conditions of your own. I don't believe you otherwise."

Konan flashed him an innocent smile. "No, Nagato, no conditions at all. For one night you'll have me for yourself. Do I need to sign a contract?"

Pein arched an eyebrow. "Is it needed for me to be sure I can find you in your room tonight around seven?"

Konan shrugged her shoulder. "I suppose not."

"How can I be sure you're not bluffing at the moment?" Pein asked skeptically, his tone doubtful. This seemed all too easy. There had to be a catch.

Konan shrugged her shoulders again and laughed. "You can't. But I promise you I will be in my room at seven o'clock tonight. It's your choice whether you believe me or not." With a smile, she waved him goodbye and turned around. "See you later."

-x-

Baby blue eyes were drilling into brown ones, a bolt striking between them. A blond fringe fell in front of the left blue eye, its owner not bothering to brush it away. An intense atmosphere surrounded the two as they sat on the floor in their dorm room.

"This is silly," Sasori stated, his fingers tangled below his chin.

Deidara cracked a smile. "I agree. You should give up."

Sasori chuckled, shaking his head. "Not a chance, babe. This is a war you can't win."

Deidara's eyes narrowed and the smile died, forcing Sasori's expression to turn solemn as well. "You're wrong, Sasori, you know that."

"I want to return the exact same words to you, Dei."

Deidara moved slowly closer, until his face was inches from the redhead's. His warm breath brushed against Sasori's lips as he clamped his hands down on his shoulders, holding them tightly. Deidara let out a heavy sigh, his expression turning desperate.

"Dei-babe…" Sasori started, but the blond only shook his head. "Deidara…" he tried again, having to use his hands to keep balance as the blond shifted his entire weight on him. The blond kept shaking his head nonstop, waving off all the redhead's attempts to call some sense into him. "Deidara…"

"No, Sasori!" Deidara exclaimed suddenly, holding still and casting the redhead the most solemn look he could muster. "Art. Is. FLEETING! YOU CAN_NOT_ DENY IT!"

Sasori gave an amused laugh, wrapping his arms around the blond's waist. "It's entertaining how you get so worked up about protecting that silly opinion of yours. True art is eternal, babe."

"DON'T YOU BABE ME WHILE SAYING SOMETHING SO STUPID!" Deidara shouted at the top of his lungs, giving Sasori a strong push and making him lose his balance. The laughing redhead fell on his back, pulling Deidara down with him.

Frowning in frustration, Deidara opened his mouth to add something, but was caught in a sudden kiss, his lecture dying at the tip of his tongue as Sasori kissed it away. "Arguing with you is like telling Hidan to leave his God. Not only do you get yelled at, but there's also a good chance of getting beat up. Let's say, for _now, _we call it a tie and agree to disagree?"

Deidara gave a small pout, but then pressed again his lips against Sasori's, invading his mouth with his tongue. Sasori moaned in pleasure, flipping them over and taking control. Pinning the blond to the ground, he kissed him passionately, their tongues mingling in a playful manner.

Deidara grabbed a hold of the crimson red hair, pulling him closer. His other hand slid beneath Sasori's shirt, caressing his stomach and chest, before going to play with one of the nipples. Sasori chuckled against his lips, pushing Deidara's bang out of the way to the side. The soft blond hair fell smoothly onto the floor beside Deidara's head.

The blond released Sasori's hair, his hand sliding down his back and pulling up the white T-shirt, revealing the smooth back. He traced the redhead's spine up and down a few times, before moving all the way down and slipping his hand into the back pocket. Deidara gripped his ass, his lower lip getting bitten for that in return.

"What do you have against my choice of clothes?" Sasori murmured in amusement, finding the blond's attempts at stripping him funny. "Are they getting in the way of something?" Deidara was blushing when he pulled away for a brief moment. Sasori chuckled and moved on to attacking his bare neck.

He bit down on the skin, when a hurried knock on the door stopped the wild make-out session. Sasori glanced up instantly, eyes darting to the door. Placing one last kiss on Deidara's lips, he got to his feet, fixing his jeans and shirt so that his boxers wouldn't show anymore, before answering the door.

A remarkably sullen figure stood behind the door, marching in as soon as Sasori had moved out of his way. He trod across the room and collapsed on the chair he pulled away from Sasori's desk. Sasori gazed at him silently, feeling surprised as he pushed the door closed.

He walked back to Deidara and sat down on the floor, pulling the blond onto his lap. There was an awkward silence as the couple stared at their quiet friend wordlessly. To be fair, he did look really depressed and had a fairly good reason for staying silent.

Deidara was the first one to speak after clearing his throat. "Hm, Pein? What's wrong?"

Pein looked up from the floor, his expression displaying slight discomfort. He wasn't sure where to start, but knew that this had to be done in one way or another. Sasori and Deidara waited patiently while he sorted through his next words carefully. "Er… Deidara, I know you're probably on your sister's side, but I need some advice-"

Deidara gave a short loud laugh, his face clearing immediately. "Oh, I see, this is about Konan? Tell me what can I do for you."

Pein looked at his friend in surprise. This wasn't the kind of response he'd been expecting. To be honest, it sounded kind of odd, but he decided to continue. "I need to know what Konan likes and dislikes."

Deidara didn't laugh anymore, but his face was so amused that might've as well done it. "There are really too many dislikes to list… and too few likes that could be of use for you that I can remember at the moment. I'm pretty sure you've already realized, but Konan isn't the easiest person on Earth to define."

"Look who's talking," Sasori murmured to his ear, but Deidara ignored it. Pein nodded in understanding, his face thoughtful. "Well, what kind of foods does she like?"

Deidara stayed quiet for a brief moment, rubbing his chin. "Anything elegant, I suppose. Something classy, formal. She's the type of girl who takes fast food as a severe personal insult, you know? So nothing from Burger King or McDonald's."

Pein nodded, feeling extremely glad that he'd asked. This girl's personality was a mine field. He wondered how many hidden mines there could still be left. "What about films? Music? Celebrities?"

Deidara laughed again. "To be honest, she doesn't give a shit about celebrities, although I think I've sensed some particular distaste towards Megan Fox. When it comes to movies, she definitely isn't one to enjoy drama. Horror movies tend to bore her. Romance… bores her also.

"I don't recall us watching that many films in the past together that she would've liked or bothered to watch till the end." Deidara ended the sentence with a thoughtful note, then, after a small pause, he added, "Although I think I remember one particular film that she seemed to enjoy. Its name was 'John Tucker must die', if I'm not mistaken."

Pein sighed in frustration, this wasn't getting him anywhere. He'd seen that movie once and knew what it was about. It told a story about four girls who seduced the school's playboy John Tucker and then broke his heart after that to give him a taste of his own medicine. He was so not going to watch it with Konan.

Deidara noticed the change and snickered. "Feeling guilty?" Pein winced at the snide comment and frowned, muttering for the blond to shut up. "What about music? What bands or singers does she like?"

"She doesn't have any favorites, but if she had to choose, then I guess she'd pick Evanescence and The Pretty Reckless, like me."

An amused smile crept across Pein's lips. He'd already figured out the Evanescence part; that's where it all had started. Thinking back at her first day here, it seemed to have been so long ago. Everything seemed to have changed since then…

"Is this all?" Deidara asked, bringing Pein back from the memories. The boy had frozen, the blond had been a split second late with tearing him away from his thoughts. Now the memory of the fateful night was stuck in his mind again, sucking heat out of his body.

He still hadn't told them. Why; was he scared? He didn't know. Letting the secret spill could've caused Konan harm, he knew. Why did he care?

One thing he'd kept insisting on to himself was that he wanted to talk things through with Konan first. That would clear things up a notch. What the girl was thinking, what she was planning, he'd find all that out tonight.

"Yeah, is all. Thanks a lot," Pein said and stood up, walking out of the door and closing it behind him.

Sasori waited until he was sure that Pein was out of the hearing range, before asking what had been on his mind for the whole time. "Aren't you even slightly worried about Konan? She _is _your sister after all. Pein-"

"That girl needs to be tamed," Deidara cut him off, already knowing where he was headed. He gave a sigh. "She's been feeding off danger and the adrenalin running through her vessels for too long. That way of living is sure to give her satisfaction, but not peace and someday, she'll break. I want her to stop before it comes to that. I just hope Pein is strong enough to tame her."

"But don't you think Pein will be the one breaking her, instead of taming?"

Deidara smiled, his voice full of confidence. "Oh, I'm not worried about that. The only way to _break _her is to tame her. If you don't tame her, she will always get back up and get revenge. Pein's on his way to doing that. But to succeed, he has to dig _deep, _way deep. And once he's in deep enough to tame her, he's already buried himself too deep to turn back. He will become a part of her. He won't be able to break her, without breaking himself."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_Guess who's BACK?! Ya thought I was dead, didn't you~ Nope, I was enjoying my time in Narnia and Wonderland n.n And holy shit, look, nearly a year has passed already since I last updated! _

_Fact is, some of my on-going stories are going to be deleted on this page and the great news is that this story is not one of them! I shall finish this! Hopefully! Haha._

_Anyways, I'm pretty sure everyone has given up on this story and there will be no reviews... haha... alright, I'll get at least one. Two. I know at least two- nooo, ONE. One. That's my final decision. I know at least one person I can convince to revie_w =w= _It's a he and he's a hottie, that's all I'm saying haha_

_Oh no, wait, TWO. THAT'S MY DECISION. I know a girl too and I'll spam her till she reviews this :3 Her name starts with A and she's nocturnal. You know who you are!_

_ANYWAYS. GUYS. (girls) SORRY. I'll try to finish this fic before summer. Emphasis on TRY. All we can do is hope, I guess._

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

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><p>Konan was standing in front of the mirror, when she heard the knock on the door. Tayuya, who'd been sitting on her bed next to the door, got up to get it, but stopped at Konan's words, "No, wait, it's for me!"<p>

Tayuya swirled around, glancing at the girl who was giving a final touch to her make-up. She was dressed in a short tight black dress with long lace sleeves, black patterned tights covering her well-shaped legs. The look was too formal to fit with the black combat boots she was wearing.

Konan knew that, but didn't have any other options. Her legs were still too bruised to endure high heels, so this set of footwear had to do. She had added a long silver cross necklace to her outfit to play down the formality of the dress and bring out the gothic style in it, making it match with her shoes.

Tayuya shot her an apathetic look in the mirror as Konan finished coloring her eyelashes without a rush, eyeing her roommate's reflection in the mirror.

"Is it the rat's son again?"

Konan smiled saccharinely, pushing the wand applicator into the tube. Tayuya's offensive nicknames never failed to amuse her. She put the mascara back in her cosmetics' bag and zipped it shut, tossing it onto her bed. "Yes, it's Nagato. I'll be gone for the night, so you can trash the room and throw a party, if you want, in the meanwhile."

"Would serve you right, psycho hag," Tayuya muttered, lying back down on her bed. She picked up the black-covered book she'd been reading, continuing at where she'd left off.

Konan laughed light-heartedly, not offended in the least. She picked up her jacket from the chair and walked over to the door. She cracked it open a notch, peeking at the boy who'd been waiting patiently the whole time.

"I already started to doubt whether I should've taken your words as truth."

Konan pushed the door open wide enough for her to get out and then closed it behind herself, willing to spare Tayuya their conversation. "So you've started to trust me?" she teased, her playful laugh pushing Pein's memories of her other masks out of his head. "I hope you won't regret that decision, Nagato."

Pein smiled pleasantly and offered her his hand. He remembered their first encounter when he'd done the same thing and what the result had been then. He hoped this time would be different. She placed her hand on top of his, her skin feeling as soft as a feather against Pein's palm.

Pein led her out of the school to the parking lot behind the building. Students didn't usually have cars of their own, so the lot was mainly occupied by the teachers' cars, but tonight there stood among others a shiny black Porsche.

They walked over to it, Pein opening the passenger door for her. She got in, putting her jacket on and watching the boy circle around the car and get in from the driver's door. He turned on the heater – it was pretty chilly outside – and started the engine, pulling out of the lot.

"Where'd you get the car?" Konan inquired. Surely it didn't belong to him, she would've known if he'd signed a document to purchase a car.

"It's Hidan's," Pein replied. "He's-"

"Yeah, I know who Hidan is," Konan cut him off, not really meaning to show off. It was in her nature to know simple details like this.

Pein gave an amused chuckle, mentally slapping himself for feeling surprised. He should've known better. Or should've he? After all, how long had he known the girl? A few weeks, not more. He tended to forget that, it just felt so much longer.

"So, where are you taking me?" Konan asked, trying to hide the slight uneasiness she felt. She wasn't used to surprises, she didn't like them. It was not like her to trust someone this much, but as things had begun to change, she found herself not worried about her own safety anymore. At least not around Nagato. That remark bothered her. She couldn't say she trusted the boy, yet she rarely thought about her own safety around him.

Yet, she did recall one thing… "I hope it's not the northern part of the city," she said, her tone amused because of a memory. "There's a gang there that's still waiting for me to pay back. The same goes for the eastern part."

Pein raised his eyebrows, but once seeing the girl's entertained expression, he burst out in laughter. "Tell me, why am I not surprised?"

Konan chuckled genuinely, enjoying the atmosphere. "Oh, and also-"

"Don't worry," Pein put in, turning a corner. "I know what I'm doing. You'll be safe."

Konan stopped chuckling and her smile died. You'll be safe. That was a tall order and a difficult promise to keep. The boy shouldn't have said that when he didn't know whether he'd be able to keep it. Konan didn't want to say anything about it, though. She turned her head away so Pein wouldn't see the change on her face.

They had been driving for about 15 minutes through the dark city, when Pein pulled up in front of an… indoors rollerblading club. There wasn't much in this world that could surprise Konan, but this time, her jaw dropped open as she eyed the building.

After five minutes of silence, she finally managed to get out, "Are you serious?"

Pein gave her an amused look. "What? Rollerblading is cool. Ladies love rollerblading." He was too into his gentleman role to say 'bitches love rollerblading'.

Konan quirked an eyebrow at him. "You do know you just ruined all your possible chances of getting laid, right?"

Pein laughed, throwing his head back. "Damn… but yeah. I prefer being honest."

An awkward silence settled between them, Pein knowing exactly what had caused it. Konan wasn't exactly a person who could boast with being honest. But to be fair, she wasn't one to think that honesty was worth being boasted about either. She lived up to her own ideals. The real reason she was staying quiet was because she was mad. At herself. For not seeing this coming. How was she supposed to go rollerblading dressed like this?

"OK, I know what you're thinking," Pein started, but was cut off immediately by the girl.

"No, you don't."

Pein rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll take a guess. Clothes?"

"Lucky guess." Konan shot him an unamused look. "Do I look like I might enjoy rollerblading in these clothes?"

Pein shook his head with a smile. "No. Which is good, because we're not going rollerblading. I just needed a place to park the car." Giving the girl a wicked grin, he climbed out and went to open the door for her.

Konan looked offended. She had been duped. She stayed still in her seat even when the door was opened and it took at least a minute for her to get up and let Pein close the door after her. "So where are we going?" she asked, nearly snarling, fixing her jacket. It needs to be repeated – this girl did not enjoy surprises.

Pein cocked his head to the side. "Do you trust me?"

"No" was Konan's a bit too quick answer. Her eyes were narrowed as she eyed the boy. Why should've she trusted him? What gave him that ridiculous idea? Maybe the fact that he had saved her life… Or that he still had not ratted on her to the police…

She gave a sigh. "Don't take it personally." She looked down. "It's not like I trust anyone. I don't even trust myself. How could I trust you then?"

"I guess you can't," Pein said, not a hint of humour on his face anymore. His expression was solemn and there was – understanding – in his eyes. "You have to learn to trust yourself first."

"Yeah, if only it were that easy." Konan rolled her eyes. "But to give you something to be proud of, if I were to trust anyone, you'd be one of the first candidates. Is that any good?"

Pein laughed. "Good enough." He locked the car and offered the girl his arm. "I was planning to be old-fashioned and just take you out to eat." Seeing as Konan did not react, he added, "It's not far from here."

Finally, Konan obliged. She placed her arm on top of his and they started walking along the street.

It was dark outside and Konan's eyes moved like a cat's in the night, glancing around for any possible threat while still managing to keep it casual. Pein noticed it, but said nothing about it. Soon, they reached a classy, two-storey restaurant and went in.

A waitress in black and white guided them to a table by a window on the second floor and, as they sat down, she lit the three candles on the table. She gave them the menus and left with a respectful bow.

As soon as she was gone, Konan moved swiftly and blew out the candles. To Pein's inquiring look, she answered, "I came here to talk, not for romance."

Pein shrugged. "Fair enough," he said. "Let's talk."

Konan waited, motioning with a swipe of her hand for him to continue.

"I want – am quite interested," he corrected himself, "in what is going on in that head of yours."

An eyebrow shot up. "I'm not sure I catch your drift," the girl replied.

Pein shook his head in clear frustration now. "What the hell are you thinking, Konan?" he demanded, minding to keep his voice low. "You killed a man. You could go to jail!"

"I don't see how any of this concerns you," Konan snapped, her eyes intense.

"Look harder," Pein hissed, "I happen to be involved. I saved you that night."

"And to think I almost forgot that," she said, her voice dripping with heavy sarcasm. "I know that. So? If you have a way I could pay you back in mind, let's hear it."

Pein stayed silent for a good while, composing himself. He could do this, he would not snap, he was strong enough - he kept repeating it all to himself non-stop. "Aren't you worried about yourself in the least?" he finally asked.

"Why should I be?" Konan replied lightly. "No witnesses, nothing to link me to him, no-one knows anything. What should I be afraid of?"

"What about me?"

Konan gave the guy a long, level look. "Are you suggesting that you might be a potential threat?" Her tone of voice was much sharper than before.

"I'm just surprised that you seem to regard me as completely innocuous." Pein managed to put on a slightly amused expression to enlighten the tense atmosphere. "Have I made such a bad impression?"

Konan gave a light chuckle that quieted as suddenly as it had started. "You wouldn't," she said tersely, ignoring the previous question.

"How do you know?" the guy countered.

"I know a little of what you would call - psychology," she said. "You do not want me as an enemy."

"Oh really?" Pein's tone was skeptical.

"Yes, really." Konan's reply was accompanied by a saccharine smile.

Pein's eyes narrowed and he was about to make a clever comeback when something else caught his attention. "Don't you think the waitress is taking a little too long?"

Konan crossed her arms over her chest and let out a mocking sound. "Impatient much? You're like Sasori."

"How do you-?" Pein cut himself off. "Never mind." He shook his head. "I'll be right back." He pushed the chair back and got up.

"Take your time. I gotta work on my comebacks," Konan quipped.

Pein rolled his eyes and walked away.

Konan let out a heavy sigh and turned her gaze towards the window. The city looked beautiful in the lights. Konan's thoughts started to wander. Was acting like this with Pein really the right thing to do? Was there any point in continuing with this plan of hers when so much had already changed?

A gaze on her. Konan realized it had been monitoring her for a while the second she noticed it and was appalled to have missed it before.

A quick glance around her told her something she should have noticed the moment they arrived - the place was nearly empty, save for four tables and at each table, there was at least one face Konan suspected to have seen before.

She tried to move slowly and casually, like she was unaware of things being amiss, but the moment her eyes locked with a man she recognized, she knew she had missed her chance.

Knowing she did not have a second to spare, she dived under the table, half a second before three bullets pierced the window next to her.

Konan reached out for two things hidden in her shoes - a gun and a knife. Aware of the fact that she hardly had a second for it, she bolted up, throwing the knife precisely at the man, hitting him dead on in the forehead, and used the bullets to eliminate the two men at the other side of the room that had also taken out their guns.

Konan had a plan. A plan to save herself. A plan that needed to be carried out right then.

But right before she could try it out, she felt something big collide against her, pushing her hard against the window at the speed of light and with the strength of a tank, breaking the window to sharp bits that cut her skin and throwing her outside.

Anticipating a free fall, the girl was caught off guard by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her as they landed on top of a parked car, setting off the alarm.

There was no time to talk. Both Pein and Konan jumped off the car roof and took off running towards the place they knew they had left the car.

"You will keep me safe, huh?!" Konan yelled at the guy as they ran, thanking her past self for having chosen these shoes for the night. "Is that what you said?!"

"You're alive, aren't you?!" Pein yelled back. "I don't see anything worth complaining about!"

"I told you not to bring me to the north!" Konan kept going. "I lost my favourite jacket!"

"She nearly got shot and all she's worried about are her clothes..." Pein muttered to himself. He then said loudly enough for Konan to hear also, "For your information, this isn't the north! We're in the west side of town!"

They reached the car and Pein whipped out the keys from his pocket in a nanosecond, unlocking the car. He yanked the door open and got in.

Konan followed suit.

"Really?" she asked, breathless, as Pein started the engine. "Because I recognized those guys. They're from the north. They belong-"

"-to a gang there - yeah, I know. They don't like me, either."

The black Porsche veered off at 100 miles per hour.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_You call me a bitch like that's a bad thing. You call me a freak like that means something~_

_Just had to write it somewhere c: _

_Anyways, enjoy the random update that was written at inhumane speed n.n_

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

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><p>When the two got back, the front doors of the school were already closed, so they had to use the emergency exit. As they walked inside, Pein noticed that the girl was shivering. He asked her what was wrong. She brushed it off, saying it was nothing. From then on, she did not shiver anymore. Pein suspected she simply forced herself to hide it.<p>

He recalled a conversation between himself and Sasori from last year – which seemed eons ago. It had been before Deidara and Sasori got together, but the redhead was already after the other.

"_He always hides it when he's not feeling good, like he's under pressure that he will be judged for it!_" Sasori had said about the other.

"_So_?" Pein had asked. "_He doesn't complain. Isn't that good?_"

Sasori had looked at him with an expression he solely saved for when they were talking about relationships. It said, 'You wouldn't know, you're only familiar with the playing part of a relationship'. Out loud he had said, "_I would not mind listening to him complain about every single thing this world, if it only meant that he didn't hide a single thing from me. It kills me._"

Pein had not understood him then and had taken him for a lunatic.

He understood now, though, and knew that he had still been right about the lunatic thing – only now he was a lunatic also. He could not bear having the girl hide her feelings from him or having her hide behind a mask, just like she did in front of everyone else. He just wanted to know her – and that was why not even for a second did he consider teasing the other, but gave an instant yes, when she asked if she could spend the night in his room, instead of her own.

"I told Tayuya I'd be away the whole night. I obviously did not foresee this – and I don't really want to disturb her, should she be up to something."

Pein gave a simple nod. "Yeah, I understand. Good thing I don't have a roommate anymore."

_I know._ Konan exhaled as she did not voice those words._ Your roommate graduated last year._

"I don't really have any – uhm, female clothes to offer you," Pein said as he unlocked the door to his room. "For obvious reasons."

"Not so obvious." Konan chuckled and followed him in. "I wouldn't be surprised, if I found someone's bra or panties under your bed."

Pein rolled his eyes, but could not help but chuckle along. "I'm not that bad."

Konan gave him the look.

"Alright, maybe I am, but I tend to clean up after myself pretty well," Pein admitted. "And I don't usually keep my women's underwear as souvenirs."

"Your women…" Konan repeated thoughtfully and sat down on the bed closest to her. "Usually? As in, there are exceptions?" She leaned down and peeked under the bed, straightening up again then, her hair ruffled from the swift movement.

"I can think of one exception," Pein hinted, his eyes running up Konan's legs, torso and finally meeting her eyes. The latter were narrowed.

"Ha ha, very funny," Konan replied.

Pein shrugged. "Wasn't joking." He went to his closet, opened the doors to put away his jacket.

"I can bring you a bra tomorrow, if you wish," Konan retorted. "I have a few to spare. What's your size?"

Pein shook his head with a smile and pushed the doors back closed. He turned around, leaning against the closet. "You're absolutely impossible and unbelievable, you know that?"

"You've found a new similarity between us."

Pein fell silent for a moment, analyzing the girl. The way she was sitting there on his bed gave absolutely nothing away – not her thoughts, her intentions, nothing. It was maddening – yet so mesmerizing. He felt like he could stare at her for hours, only to try and figure out what she was thinking about.

"Can I ask you something?" he said.

"You already did," Konan quipped.

Ignoring the comeback, Pein peeled himself off the closet and took a step closer. "Can I kiss you?"

"What?!"

"Can I kiss you?" Pein repeated, giving her a charming smile. Seeing as her expression demanded for an explanation, he gave her one, "You seem like the kind of girl who'd literally stab a guy in the back, should they try to force a kiss upon you."

"I see," Konan murmured. "I don't see why I should allow you to touch me with the lips that have tortured so many other females."

"Tortured?" Pein gave a snort. "That sounds like jealousy."

"What?" Konan snapped, irritated, but Pein moved swiftly and was already kneeling in front of her, his hands on her lap. It was difficult getting mad at a guy who got on his knees and gave such a ridiculous smile, like a child begging for candy, while the world saw him as an infamous leader of a criminal gang.

"I haven't kissed anyone for two weeks," Pein nearly sang. "And I won't kiss anyone for another two weeks, just to cherish your touch."

Konan laughed at the cheesy pickup lines. It was a light-hearted laugh, as though she was genuinely amused. "Do you know how ridiculous you look?"

"I'm counting on that."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I figured you aren't big on macho guys." Pein brought his one knee up to support himself on his foot and began to rise. "The trick is to amuse you." And, without waiting for any further permission, he rose up and pressed his lips against the girl's.

Konan did not resist. She let her lips move slowly with the guy's and even opened her mouth for his tongue to explore. Her eyes had closed the moment they touched.

She felt Pein's weight shifting and, all of a sudden, she was pressed against the bed with her back, even though Pein continued as softly as he had before. Konan knew they would need a breather quite soon and, the moment Pein pulled away, moving only inches away, she slipped her finger between them and placed it on the guy's lips.

"That will do," she said and pushed him off her to get up. She stood up and fixed her dress, busying herself while making sure her back was on Pein. She needed a moment to compose herself, her face.

That kiss, why had it been so sweet? Why did she feel like getting more of that?

"Why did you go now and leave me wanting more?" Pein asked, sprawled out on the bed. Unbeknownst to him, he had spoken Konan's exact thoughts out loud.

"Because," Konan said with a smile and whirled around, "I refuse to become another one-night stand of yours, boy. Get that?"

Pein did not say anything, his eyes losing their playfulness in a split-second. He could not make any promises to this girl, because she would not buy them. More importantly, he was not sure he would have been capable of keeping them.

"Can I burrow a towel of yours?" Konan asked. "Preferably not the one you use to dry your balls?"

Pein rolled over on his bed and reached out to pull out a drawer in the nightstand. He took a white, seemingly clean, like Konan had requested, towel and tossed it to the girl.

"Thanks," she said. "I'll be back in a few." She opened the door and walked out, letting the door fall closed on its own behind her.

Pein let out a sigh and rolled onto his back again. "I don't see how she could ever become a one-night stand of mine," he muttered to himself.

-x-

The real reason Konan had left the room was that she needed time to think on her own, to clear her head. And that was nearly impossible with that guy present.

So Konan decided to take advantage of the late hours when no-one would be around and, since she could not leave the dormitory, take a shower in the boys' showers.

She undressed and stepped into one of the cabins, turning the tap on. She needed to think. _Think, Konan, think!_

_What am I going to do?_

_What are my options?_

_Option one - seduce Pein, break his heart and gain back lost reputation. Then what? Deidara won't be with me anymore, that's clear enough. Will I go solo or find a new partner?_

_New partner?_ Konan snorted. _Like I'd be able to find anyone I'd trust enough. Those weren't lies that I told Pein. If I were to trust anyone at the moment, it would be him - despite the high odds of him betraying me._

_But should I break him, I won't have anyone left. Absolutely no-one. I would have to go solo. Is that what I want?_

Konan let the warm water run down her back. _What are my other options? Do i have any?_

_I don't know._

_I'm a mess._

_I need someone to talk to. Who?_

-x-

When Konan got back to the room, drying her hair with the towel, Pein was still lying on his bed, one hand covering his eyes from the light. He looked asleep, but Konan knew better.

She came to a stop by his bed and fixed her eyes on him, knowing he would react soon.

She was right.

Pein removed the hand from his face and looked up at her, her still dripping-wet hair and clear-of-makeup face. He was slightly surprised to find the image not too different from what she usually looked like. He had put down her pink lips and dark eyelashes to makeup; now he realized they were both natural.

"Hi," he said.

"Hey." Konan bowed her head down and wrapped the towel around her head like a turban. "I was wondering, if, by any chance, you happened to have something I could put on for the night."

A playful glint flashed in Pein's eyes and Konan caught it, but chose not to say anything about it.

"I'll see what I can find," Pein said, getting up from the bed and walking over to the closet. After some rummaging, he asked, "Will a simple t-shirt do?"

"Yes, would be wonderful."

He extended his arm to reach the shirt he had noticed at the back and pulled it out. It was one of his larger ones, a black one with the words '_Sex, drugs amd rock'n roll_' printed over the front.

Konan caught it with ease as it was thrown to her and looked it over. The print made her chuckle. "Thanks." She put it down on the bed with the intentions of changing into it right then.

Seeing Konan smile, brightened Pein's mood, too, and his mouth stretched into a light smile.

"Could you - turn around while I change?" Konan asked.

"Why?" Pein replied with the same easiness he generally used when he had a comeback up his sleeve. "I've already seen you half-naked."

Konan's eyes narrowed at him. "That wasn't exactly necessary." She sighed. "I would still like some privacy, please?" she said with strained politeness.

"Sure sure." Pein whipped around and put his hands behind his head, whistling a simple tune while waiting.

Konan gave him a suspicious look, debating whether she should have trusted him to not peek or whether it would have been better to blindfold him first. She came to the conclusion that if she trusted him enough to sleep in the same room with him, she should trust him enough for this, too.

She turned around as well and started to unzip her dress when the zipper caught in something and would not move any further. She let out an irritated sigh. With force she tried to move it back up and then down, but that thing refused to move an inch. Another sigh.

"Something wrong?" Pein asked.

"The zipper's stuck," Konan replied, her tone frustrated and irritated as she struggled to make it move.

"Want my help?" Pein offered.

"No!" Konan snapped harshly. A pause. "Alright fine, yes. Please."

Flashing a content smile, as though he had been anticipating this, Pein swung around and found the girl struggling as she was with the zipper situated right at the back of the dress.

He stepped closer. His warm fingers brushed against Konan's as he made her release the zipper to take a hold of it himself. "I got it, relax," he said, feeling the girl tense at his touch.

Konan blew out a breath.

Pein moved the zipper around a little until he got the threads stuck in it out. The way he handled it made it clear that this was not his first time dealing with something like this, but he chose to not mention it.

Once he got the zipper moving, instead of releasing it and letting the girl handle the rest herself, he slowly pulled it down. As it ran down Konan's back, light feather touches were planted on her skin until the zipper was completely undone.

Then Pein stepped away.

"Thanks," Konan said in a small voice, trying to cope with the burning feeling that the touches had caused inside of her. "You can turn around now again."

Pein did. He waited quietly, rubbing the fingers of his one hand against each other. The ones that had made contact with the girl's back.

"Alright. Ready," Konan said. "You can look now."

He turned again. As expected, the shirt was too wide for her – the neck hole bared one of her shoulders – but quite short also, as it _almost _showed the girl's underwear. Konan did not seem bothered by it, though. She was the kind of girl who did not see the difference between bikini and underwear – if you could wear one of them in public, why not the other, when they looked the same?

She folded her clothes carefully, hiding the bra in her dress, out of sight. She set them on the empty nightstand next to the empty bed. Pein had sat back down on his bed and Konan eyed him for some time, before finally making up her mind. She had to do it. And, if her calculations were correct, she did not have much to lose, anyway…

"Uhm, Nagato?" she said, walking up to his bed and sitting down on the edge, one leg beneath her.

"You know you're the only one who still calls me that?" Pein said, laid down, his eyes closed.

"Now I feel special." Konan chuckled. "Why? Don't your parents still call you that? Your grand-?" she cut herself off, remembering his only grandmother had died the year before.

"I don't talk to my parents," he said. "Leader of a criminal gang isn't exactly something to be proud of. They, more or less, disowned me. Nothing's official, but after I graduate… Let's just say I won't be welcome at their house any more than a rabid fox is."

"I know the feeling," Konan mumbled before she could stop herself; realizing what she had just said, she looked away quickly, averting her gaze to her tangled fingers.

That made Pein react and open an eye. "Really?"

"Yeah."

He gazed at her curiously for a minute. Seeing as she was not willing to elaborate, and not wanting to press it, he just nodded and said, "I see. Odd."

"What's odd?" Konan asked.

Pein shrugged. "Having someone know what it feels like. You're the first who, I assume, understands." He paused, thinking how to word his next thought. "I mean, Sasori and the others all know my story – not that we dwell on our pasts – but none of them understands. Some things can't be understood just by having someone explain them, you know?"

Konan nodded thoughtfully, not willing to meet his eyes anymore. Being with him like this was worse than she had feared. This was discussing some of the most hidden feelings of her and she was not sure what this could lead to. She felt too vulnerable; mostly emotionally. She bit the inside of her cheek to compose herself again.

For a moment she wished she could be alone and just rant – write her rant down in her diary. Then she remembered she had burned it the day she had destroyed her and Tayuya's dorm room. She wondered if she should have bought a new notebook to write in.

"What are you planning to do after this?" Konan asked the guy, raising her gaze to meet his, once she was sure that the look in it was collected enough. "After graduation, I mean."

"College, I guess," Pein replied. "Need to do something with my life. That's my best chance, I figured."

_College… _Konan repeated in her head and untangled her fingers, only to then tangle them again. "What about the Akatsuki?"

Pein laughed, which sounded strange and out of place in the current atmosphere. "Extra cash. I doubt there are many things that can change us."

"I see" was the only thing Konan had to say to that.

A silence fell. Their steady breathing was the only thing to fill the room and, for some time, Konan could hear her own heartbeat, although it wasn't even racing.

Pein's question was the one to break the silence, "Can I be honest with you?"

Konan blew out a breath she'd been holding since she sensed the other was going to ask her something. She laughed, which was comforting. Even with the mess her life was now, she could still be happy at times and that was something she hadn't thought possible a week ago.

"No, please lie to me," she retorted and gave him a crooked smile.

Pein shook his head, amused. "It feels slightly strange having you ask all these questions."

"Because I don't usually ask much?"

"Because you usually know everything," Pein explained. "It was quite creepy at first, but then I got used to it and now it's freaky to have you _not _know everything."

"Want me to stop?"

Pein shook his head as a negative answer. "It's good feeling like I actually know something worth telling you."

Konan let out an entertained laugh. "I was making you feel stupid?"

"Pretty much," Pein answered. "I had already many theories on how you knew so much."

"I'm listening." Konan's interest was genuine as she was expecting another dose of good laughter coming soon.

"Well, that you could read minds? Too cliché?"

Konan nodded, shifting her position so that she was lying down on her stomach, propping her chin on her hand. "Not too original."

"Well, I also considered the possibility that you kept in touch with the Shinigami, who revealed everyone's stories to you for a price I can't imagine."

Konan found it hard to breathe while laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. She could not remember the last time she had laughed so hard while _sober_; probably never.

They went on for what felt like hours, and probably were, since later on Konan remembered catching sight of the rising sun outside. The sky being tinted pink in the glory of dawn.

-x-

When Konan woke up, the sky was already light blue. She was in the same position she had been in while talking to Pein, only the blanket from the other bed had been spread over her. And Pein was nowhere in sight.

Konan felt tired. How long had she slept? Three hours? Despite the lack of sleep, she had never felt better. She felt a smile she could not wipe off on her face and the feeling grew even better as she stretched. She wanted to sleep on, but there were things that needed to be taken care of first. Like proving to Karin she was still worth the role of Rika.

A quick glance at the clock on the wall told the girl it was nearly 9 o'clock already. She had an hour till the appointment. Plenty to spare.

Running a hand through her hair, she got up and changed back into her dress. She slipped on her boots and zipped them up. Her plan was simple: shower, breakfast, rush to the auditorium. Before leaving, she folded the t-shirt she had been given and set it on the bed.

Konan opened the door and stepped outside.

And that was when she wished she had either woken up earlier or had delayed her departure. Any other time than the one she had chosen would have done. That was her first reaction, brought on by her mood swinging from one extreme to another. The anger bubbling inside of her did not leave much room for rational thoughts.

Experienced as she was, though, she was able to overcome it quickly enough and think clearly. _Maybe this is just perfect_, she thought. _Better to know the true face of the bastard than to continue living in oblivion._ She took a breath to calm herself and faked a cough, catching the attention of the two teens in the hallway by the wall.

Two teens. A guy and a girl.

The guy had pressed the girl against the wall, their faces telling Konan more than she wished to know.

"Sorry for interrupting." Konan flashed them a sweet smile. "Do continue." And she walked out of the boys' dormitory at an even pace with the grace of a ballerina, not waiting for Pein's explanations. She had better things to do than to listen to more lies.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	11. Chapter 11

_So this chap may or may not suck... Idk._

_My predictions is that my weekend will contain way too much homework and way too little, so this is to start off good, at least:_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

* * *

><p>Pein had a bad feeling when entering the auditorium. That feeling worsened, when he reached the stage and realized Konan was nowhere in sight. Only Karin was present, tapping her fingers impatiently against the piano as her eyes drilled into the guy that had just entered. The look was probably meant to make him feel guilty, but had no effect.<p>

"You are late!" Karin scolded firmly, her tone no more than a hiss. Obviously someone had had a bad morning, which definitely included missing her coffee.

"Not according to my watch," Pein replied without a smirk, failing to downplay the queasy feeling he felt inside.

Karin was about to make a nasty comment, a threat or a reminder about Pein's chances of keeping his role depending solely on his behavior today, but before she could get to that, the double doors of the auditorium swung open with a bang and Konan marched in, her face spelling _A-N-G-E-R_.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said harshly out loud and clear. Her footsteps were even, yet loud, and echoed in the room as she walked down the aisle and came to a stop in front of the stage.

Pein chanced a glance at her, although it wasn't even necessary to know he had lost everything he had achieved last night. He didn't need eyes to understand - the anger and hostility reached him through air as the girl radiated them off in to 9-meter radius.

Karin's long, devastated sigh filled the silence. "You haven't improved a bit since I last saw you." She rested her chin on her hand. "And I was already hoping to make a good impression on my colleagues... Now I'm gonna be seen as a failure." She glared at her students.

"Thought you'd be used to it by now," Konan muttered so quietly that the teacher had no ways of hearing it. Pein, however, did and held back a chuckle.

"But," Karin continued, oblivious of the joke aimed at her, and seated herself behind the piano, "I happen to believe in miracles. And since I promised to give you the chance..." she trailed off.

"Get yourselves on stage, we'll take it from the scene where Rika and Sebastian meet after the party." She rummaged in her bag a bit before pulling out a few pages of sheet music. "This scene is the so-called climax of the play!" she said and her eyes were clouded by the usual dreamy look she had while talking about something _overwhelmingly wonderful, _as she put it. "The duet of the two after the twist in the story! When Sebastian realizes that instead of duping the girl, _he_ had been duped instead!"

She paused for a moment, her eyes clearing, and gave the two a considering look. "You do realize the importance of it, right?"

Two heads nodding. Even though they had no idea what Karin was referring to - their performance or the scene - they found it for the best to agree with everything she said.

"Alright then." Her fingers slid along the keys, searching for the right chord. "We'll skip the conversation right to the song. I'll make my decision based on that." She paused. "Do your best."

Her fingers pressed the keys down in a swift movement, creating a harsh sound, then continuing with a melody in a much smoother and softer tone.

Pein cleared his throat with a muffled sound. He took a deep breath and counted the beats in his head; he ran his tongue over his lower lip, ready to begin.

He started singing,

"_I found a devil in disguise; _

_"Wrapped in my arms and her own lies. _

_"An angel's smile, an angel's eyes, _

_"watching how my heart dies."_

The interval between the verses was no longer than a second. Konan's eyes were gazing blankly at the empty seats in the auditorium, like she wasn't paying attention to the song at all, much less to Pein. However, she didn't miss a beat to continue, her tone ironic,

"_Oh please honey, don't play innocent. _

_"Nobody can be that perfect. _

_"My lies fell like the rain, _

_"don't come telling me you didn't do the same."_

This was the part where the guitars and drums would be kicking in, but since there were none at the moment and the acoustic melody of the piano was the only thing to support their voices, Pein had to give forward the rough change in sound with solely his voice.

"_I trusted you! _

_"I fell in love! _

_"Do not make up lies about what I've done!_"

Konan recognized the analogy of the song and whipped around abruptly. It was more than ironic, it seemed like a joke, yet it had the effect of stirring up all the emotions that had bottled up in her. Her anger was both real and dramatic, just like Karin had expected of the role of Rika.

"_Just admit I saw you through! _

_"You would've crushed me, if I hadn't crushed you!_"

However, _anger_ was the easy part of the song. The much more difficult part was yet to come - expressing the transition to love. Twisted love. A twisted love story.

"_You had your fun,_" Pein sang in a slightly wavery tone, as though having just calmed down after a fit, "_now are you done? My love, my dove?"_

Konan calmed herself down, too. She took a breath, let it stay in her and then blew it out.

"_Will you let me go away? _

_"Or will you still try to keep me safe, in your arms?"_

Pein replied, "_I may wrap them around you, but if you still pierce through, I'll have to let go."_

Konan started to pace towards the guy, their eyes locked.

"_But what if I stay?_

_"What if I stay? _

_"Is there still a cage I can lie in today? _

_"What if I stay today?"_

Karin played a pause. Up until then Pein had all but forgotten her presence, much less had he remembered that they were being assessed.

It did not matter anymore. Not the play, only Konan. He had to explain to make things right. He had to try. It would not be easy, he knew.

Oh, so not easy.

"_You are driving me insane, _

_"didn't you want to leave?!"_ Pein sang, letting out all his frustration.

Konan let out a chuckle, just like in the script, and replied,

"_Darling, you've never been sane, _

_"if you wanted to start dating me."_

Pein replied, "Is_ that your answer, goddess? Will you leave me in this madness?"_

A pause. The piano melody continued, playing the absent guitar's notes. When its solo ended, Konan started again,

"_Will you let me fly away? _

_"Or will you still try to keep me safe-"_

Pein joined in, their voices creating a perfect harmony. _"I may wrap them around you-"_

_"-in your arms-"_

_"-but if you still pierce through, I'll have to let go-"_

_"-But what if I stay, is there still a cage I can lie in today?"_

_"I'll have to let go."_

_"But what if I stay?" _

The two finished at the same time. Their eyes were still locked. So much to say, too few chances, too few words. They let out a breath. There was only silence.

Then it was broken by Karin's sigh and following words that were coated with relief, "You've still got it."

-x-

"Konan!" Pein yelled, yet again. He did not have a clue how many times he had already said or shouted the name either in his mind or out loud in the recent days, he only knew that it had already made its way to his TOP 3 of Most Repeated Words; could be called a parasite word. "Wait!" he said, although knowing it pointless. The girl was not going to stop, not at the speed she was rushing down the hallway, probably searching for an escape route.

That was one thing she was not going to succeed at, though. She may have done her research thoroughly, but Pein had been a delinquent at this school for two and a half years; that was more than enough time for him to learn every secret passage this building had by heart so well, he could draw a map with his eyes closed.

"You need to wait and _listen _to me!" Pein's walk had turned into a jog as the girl showed no intentions of slowing down.

"I do not _need_ to do anything for you! Sue me, if you think otherwise!"

Pein sighed harshly. This girl took everything way too literally. He had meant that he would dearly _appreciate _it, if she stopped to listen. Forcing her to do something was never the road to success, he had concluded. "_Please,_" he begged, "you got the wrong impression-!"

Konan raised her hand without turning around or slowing down, her middle finger extended in the air. Pein's eyes narrowed at this. He was reaching his limit, he knew. He could take this only so long…

"For Christ's sake, Konan! _Stop _for a second and _listen_!"

To his surprise, she obliged. But not completely. She came to a sudden halt and whirled around, her face more enraged than Pein had ever seen it. And that was saying something. He stopped walking also.

"_Listen?!_" she spat. "_What _do you want me to listen to?! More lies? I have enough shit to deal with, I don't need your bullshit to top it off! So _FUCK OFF_!"

Pein pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not _giving _you any bullshit! The chick you saw – her name's Sadako, she-"

Konan raised her palms dramatically. "Oh WOW, the bitch has a name! Do I look like I give a single fuck, Nagato?! DO I?!"

"She's the reason you're yelling your lungs out at me right now!" Pein shouted back. "It was nothing like you seem to think it was, yet you're making me sound like the world's biggest asshole!"

"That's because you _are_! You expect me to believe you_. You! _Of all people!" Konan took a breather, her eyes seeming glassy. "How can I ever know you're not lying?" Her words were raucous.

"You can't." Pein paused, letting the words sink in as he quoted Konan's own words. "But I promise you I'm not lying. It's your choice whether you believe it or not."

Konan stared at him with an empty look; it looked so sad, so heartbreaking, yet she would never cry in front of him.

"I can't trust you, Nagato. I just can't," she said, forcing her tone steady, and turned away, knowing it was a high time for her to leave before she lost herself. "I won't be another one of _those _girls. So just leave me alone." And she ran away.

Pein could have caught her with ease, he already knew where she was going. But he did not. She needed to be alone and he could not change that.

-x-

Pein headed back to his room. Even though it was Saturday, he did not feel like going anywhere. He hardly remembered his promise to meet up with Kakuzu later in the afternoon and was planning to cancel it by not showing up. He didn't want any interactions. He wanted to sleep and stay asleep for as long as humanly possible.

Deidara was leaning against Pein's door and his eyes stayed on him from the moment the latter turned the corner and entered the hallway. Even from afar he noticed something being seriously off and decided to observe closely.

Pein was so consumed by his own thoughts, only looking at the ground as he walked, that he didn't notice the blond leaning against his door before the other spoke up, saying, "Someone looks like they just got their ass kicked by a 5-year-old."

Pein's eyes darted up, the look in them solemn and, now, annoyed. "Leave me alone, Deidara. I don't feel like talking… to anyone at the moment."

Deidara sighed.

Pein was making it quite obvious with his pointed look that he would have liked for him to move out of the way, so he could enter his room (and lock it to prevent anyone from disturbing him), but Deidara ignored it; he asked in a worn-out voice, "What did my sister do now?"

Pein's eyes at him narrowed; he looked just like he was about to deny his mood having anything to do with Konan, but was searching for the right words to defend himself. In the end, he said nothing, knowing Deidara would know the truth with or without him saying anything.

Deidara snorted, reading Pein like an open book. "Of course it's her; like there's anything else that'd give you that funeral look. I know you well enough to say that." He folded his arms across his chest. "So, tell me – what horrid crime did she commit this time?"

Pein visibly paled. _How the hell did he know of it already?! _It took him a good moment to realize that Deidara probably had no clue of what had really happened, his choice of words being tough luck; he was referring to what she had done to get him down this time.

Pein let out a sigh. Despite himself, he wondered whether it would have been a good idea to talk to someone about it. And if it had to be someone – who would have been a better option than Deidara? Sasori, perhaps, but he did not know Konan like Deidara did.

"Could we go in at least?" Pein asked.

Deidara gave a nod and let the other have access to the door; Pein unlocked it and let them both in.

"So, spill it," Deidara said as soon as the door had closed behind them, "what's going on?"

Pein sat down on his bed, trying _not _to remember the last time he had been here. God, why did he always screw up?

No, that was the wrong question. Fact was, he did _not _usually screw up. He was successful at almost everything he did.

The correction would be, why did he always mess up _with Konan_? Why did he have to screw up things that really mattered to him? And by _really_, he meant 'more than anything else ever had'.

"She... does not trust me," Pein blurted out and blew out a breath, burying his face in his palms, arms propped on his spread apart knees.

Deidara's harsh laugh surprised him. He had not heard him laugh like that before. He looked up.

The guy in front of him seemed cold, all of a sudden. Like someone completely new – or, rather, _old_.

Pein knew from what Sasori had told him what a big transition _his blond _had gone through. That before this school, he used to be exactly like Konan.

Now, just for this single moment, it seemed like the _old _Deidara had returned.

"You're surprised?" The blond's tone was mocking and superior. "Just how much do you even know her?"

Pein shook his head, knowing he should have worded it differently. "It's not that. Hell, I know she doesn't trust anyone."

"Then what's the problem?"

"We... She used to- uhh," Pein cut himself off, making himself rethink just what exactly it was that he was trying to say.

"She used to - almost trust you?" Deidara took a guess.

Pein nodded, the look in his eyes devastated. "And now even that's gone."

"What happened?"

"She caught me with Sadako-"

"In bed?" Deidara took another guess, only this time his voice was more a snarl.

"What?" Pein's eyes darted to him. "No! Jesus, Deidara, I'm not that bad!"

The look the blond gave him was identical with Konan's.

Pein sighed harshly. "No, seriously!"

"Alright, so what _did _you do?"

"We were actually in the middle of an argument, but-"

"Why?"

Pein squeezed his eyes shut; this was a question he had hoped he _wouldn't_ have to answer.

"A month ago or so there was this party and there were like tons of people and lots of alcohol and-"

"Yeah," Deidara put in harshly, "I get it. Get to the point."

Pein growled. _I would, if you just let me finish_, his glare said. "Well, in brief, she came telling me that she's pregnant and I'm to blame."

Pein had expected a shocked _what? _or a wave of insults, but instead he got a look of sarcasm and "Not that bad, huh?"

Pein growled again and shot up. "Hey, that's bullshit - I never even touched her, plus she sleeps with pretty much everyone - and stop judging me for fuck's sake!"

"You said there was a lot of alcohol," Deidara hinted.

Pein gave him a warning look.

The blond merely shrugged his shoulders, as though to say, _Just saying._

"Deidara," Pein said with strained patience, "I know myself well. Better than anyone, because I am _me_. And believe me when I say that I did _not _touch that chick."

"Alright, alright," Deidara finally let it go. "So what was it that Konan saw?"

"I was quite furious with Sadako; we were standing close, so my guess is Konan thought we were in the middle of-"

"Alright, I get it." Deidara cut Pein off once again, which was seriously starting to get on the other's nerves. He glanced around and moved a few paces to seat himself on the edge of a desk. "So that's what this is all about, huh?"

Pein nodded. "As you can see."

Deidara nodded as well. A solemn silence fell, until Deidara threw his palms in the air. "Well, I can do nothing about it. Good luck." He started to leave.

Pein snapped up. "Wait, Deidara! What do you mean you can't do anything?! You're her twin-brother!"

Deidara turned to look at him. "So?" he asked. "You got yourself into this, you started messing with her, you gotta get yourself out of it. Iwaga rule number one."

"Iwaga rule? What?!" Pein was close to losing his temper. "I don't know your rules, for fuck's sake! You both're like from another world!"

Deidara pointed a finger at him. "Exactly! And don't you forget it!" Deidara's voice was strict. "Your _usual _techniques won't work on Konan. That's why you've been failing."

Pein gave him a rare, hopeless look. "How did Sasori manage with you?"

Deidara laughed. "Ask him."

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_Soo a total of 1 review for the last chapter. I'm glad to see how many people must simply love this story. _

_I nearly stopped writing this actually ._. But then... I continued. And didn't quit. Good for me._

_Here's the chap:_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

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><p>Never in his life had Pein thought things would come to this. Never. Ever. Never ever ever ever. He would have been more likely to believe in witchcraft or unicorns than that he would ever find himself in a situation like this. Yet life tended to make surprises at times you least expected them, take unexpected turns, go down unexpected roads. And where you ended up at, you could never know before you were already there.<p>

Pein took a breath and entered the bar. He was greeted by a smell of beer and smoke, which didn't bother him. The bar was quite full, as to be expected of a soccer night, yet couch sport was the least of his reasons to be there. He maneuvered past the men and waitresses, carrying plates and glasses to and from the wooden tables and counters, and made his way to the quieter corner of the bar.

By a dark window, there was an empty table that he sat down at. It took a few minutes for a waitress to turn up and ask for his order.

"I'll just take a beer, thanks, babe," Pein muttered, the nickname slipping out of his mouth without him even realizing it.

The woman looked flattered, though, and smiled a little too widely at him, saying a bit too enthusiastically, "Right away" and rushing off a bit too energetically. Pein would never realize how much these kinds of words could affect women, but, for the time being, at least, he had no interest in the effects his actions had on women. If only one particular female, perhaps.

Not too much later red hair could be seen moving through the crowd and Sasori stepped up before Pein, then plopped down on on the bench. He tangled his fingers, bent forward and looked Pein deep in the eye; he leaned back again as he blew a strand of hair out of his face.

"I bet a beer on this being about Konan."

The corner of Pein's mouth twitched upwards momentarily, before his face returned to its previous grim expression.

"I'll order," he said and waved a waitress over. "I need your advice, Sasori," he said as soon as the woman left.

Sasori let out a long whistle, which made Pein cringe. "_Man_, you're in deep." Sasori laughed. "This girl must be something." He thanked the waitress (without any nicknames) and took the beer.

Pein felt all the frustration building up in his head and causing a headache. He squeezed his eyes closed and rubbed them, letting out a sigh. "Remember when Deidara first appeared?" he asked, his voice edgy, which caught Sasori's attention and made him swallow his next witty comment. "Remember how I acted?"

"Like an ass," Sasori muttered and took a sip of his drink. "It took a lot of effort to keep myself from jumping you."

"Yeah, well, what I'm asking you is to be the better man," Pein blurted out. Sasori's movements halted and his eyes locked with the other's. Pein let out a sigh, damning himself for feeling so helpless. That was why he had come to Sasori. The very last option. He would have rather died than stooped so low in front of anyone else.

Sasori was quiet and watched his friend intently.

Pein gave him a pleading look. He was probably very close to actually saying "please" and adding a line that would have made any actor proud for its emotionality, but Sasori didn't let it get that far. He was going to be a true friend, not wanting to watch the other suffer as he knew what he was going through.

"What do you want me to do?"

Pein's pose relaxed a bit, but most of the tension remained as a small voice inside him announced that he certainly wasn't worthy of a friend like Sasori. He pushed the voice away, postponing the guilt trip.

"Just advice. Sharing experience," Pein replied. "They're twins. They must have plenty in common. If you could handle Deidara, I should be able to handle - her." For some reason he did not want to say the name out loud. Like an omen, an irrational fear inside him deemed it necessary in order to avoid any more bad luck.

"Hmm, I don't know," Sasori mused out loud. "She's pretty - radical." He took a moment to think as he gulped down the beer. "Basically I can tell you what I did, but I can't guarantee that'll work with Konan."

Pein let out a strained laugh. "No one can guarantee anything with that girl. I'll just take what I can."

"I see," Sasori muttered. "Well, firstly you gotta store a lot of patience, but I guess you already know-" he caught sight of the other rolling his eyes and cut himself off. "Hey, if I'm gonna tell you anything, I'll tell you everything, regardless of whether you already know it or not."

Pein raised his palms. "Sorry. Do continue."

Sasori nodded. "Alright, so, patience is a virtue." He chuckled. "Very hard to achieve, especially for me, but oh well." He sipped the beer. "Next is probably tactfulness. And easygoingness."

Pein arched an eyebrow.

Sasori explained, "I don't think I would have achieved anything, had I started pointing out everything that he did wrong in my opinion. You just have to side with them. Even if they're wrong. Become someone they can rely on. And be tolerant.

"I mean, Deidara was all '_Get away from me, bastard!'_" - he changed his voice for that line - "from the beginning, but for me it was either put up with it or get out. I knew he would change, or at least I hoped he would." A nostalgic smile crossed his lips as he glanced down at his glass. "And he did."

Pein didn't know what to say. It was difficult, nearly impossible, to imagine Konan ever changing. What would she be like then? Would she still be the girl he knew? A part of Pein knew that he was expecting too much. Konan didn't seem like a person who could ever be changed. Then again, had Deidara been?

He muttered, "I see" and sipped on his own drink.

"Then, of course, there's honesty," Sasori continued while Pein thought, _what good is it, if she never believes me?_ Almost making him believe that the other could read his mind, Sasori said, "They don't believe you at first, of course, but it's a good foundation to build the relationship on."

"But how could you trust what he said?" Pein asked, because that was one of his current biggest worries.

Sasori shrugged almost carefreely. "You have to. One of you has to make the move of trusting the other first and I'm guessing if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't be where I am now. It is quite possible you'll be duped, but hey, I took the chances."

Pein nodded, his mind foggy. How was he supposed to do all that? It was the complete opposite of his way of life so far. Was he willing to change all that just for... _her_? He squeezed his eyes shut and tried imagining what life would have been like if he had just decided to quit now. Forgot anything ever happened, just moved on with his life. Graduation wasn't that far away. He'd be gone to a college and would never encounter the girl again.

An itchy feeling that Pein couldn't give a name to bloomed in a pit of his stomach and at the back of his head, throat, back... It spread throughout his whole body like wild fire and Pein nearly gasped. It was like bacteria was eating him hollow from the inside. His hand started shaking and, all of a sudden, the blue-haired girl was all he could picture in his head. His eyes flew open.

"You okay?" Sasori asked, eyeing him cautiously. "You look pale."

Pein shook his head and got up from his seat. "I'll be right back," he muttered. "I need some fresh air." He left for the exit.

_How can this be... What is wrong with me?!_ The questions ran through his head like a never-ending train - one of the questions had just finished, when the next had already arrived. _Why?! Why me? _

_This is Karma_, he decided the second he got outside. He sucked in the chilly air of October and blew it out. The cold helped to cool down his head. He looked around and shoved his hands in the pockets, directing his eyes at the darkening sky. The city lights prevented any stars from shining, but it was somewhat soothing gazing at something so big and infinite. It was like realizing how small he really was and that his problems were even smaller that. Pein had never been one to contemplate the meaning of life or the universe, but since Konan had showed up, it had been a continuous line of firsts for him, so this odd track his thoughts were following this time did not surprise him.

There wasn't much traffic on the two-line road in front of him. A car or two passed by every five minutes and the infrequency granted a rather silent atmosphere.

That was, until a loud "Yo" and chatter broke loose not too far from him.

Pein snapped his head towards the noise, finding a dubious gang of seven males pacing towards him. He might have been mistaken and they could have had nothing to do with him as it was also possible they were just heading his way to pass him - it was also possible that their eyes kept glancing at him only because the path was narrow and they wanted him out of the way - but it was the look on the front guy's face and his poise that indicated otherwise. After all, taking Pein for a completely inexperienced beginner in this department would have not been wise.

Afterwards it occurred to him that he could have saved himself from all the mess by backing down into the bar, but his defenses had been down due to all the distractions in the recent days and he had underestimated the potential danger. What he did was turning to face the group, hands still in pockets, looking quite nonchalant. He wanted to know what business they had with him. After running over the ones sashaying at the back of the group, his eyes focused on the front man, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yo, mate," the man greeted loudly with a broad smile. He had dark skin and hair, reminding Pein of the videos he'd seen of Brazilians practicing their martial arts. Capoeira had never held much of an interest for him, though. "We were wondering, if we could have a word with you."

"What's up?"

The man came to a stop a meter from him, the rest halting with him. "We're looking for a buddy of ours," he said in an easygoing tone, "we were just wondering if you've seen him."

Pein thought it an odd question to ask; why the hell should he have known anything about their buddy? "What's he look like?" he asked

The man shrugged. "An average guy. About this tall" - he pointed at the guy next to him whose stature was a few inches taller - "a beard" - he rubbed his own shaved jaw - "hmm," he mused, "blond."

"Have you?" a guy from the back asked.

Pein shook his head. "Not recently, no. Can't recall anyone like-"

A sharp punch in the gut that he had not seen coming cut him off mid-sentence and he backed down a few steps. His hands grabbed his stomach and he gasped, automatically focusing his attention on the attacker in anticipation of a new attack. It didn't leave him waiting, a fist aimed at his face followed in a second but he was able to block it.

"How about now?!" the guy shouted as he kept kicking, Pein dodging the attacks skillfully. "Remember him?!"

Two pairs of hands locked around Pein's arms, preventing him from moving farther. They held him still while he struggled to break free to no avail. He wanted to get away fast, he had to. But another punch already landed on his cheek, making him wince in pain.

Pein... Pain... Oh the irony. He gritted his teeth.

"What the FUCK are you TALKING ABOUT?!" he spat at the man, tasting blood in his mouth.

The man smirked sadistically. "If you don't remember, maybe we should arrange a meeting with him for you." He moved close to his ear, their cheeks almost touching. "Want to know where he lives?" he asked, lowering his voice until it was no louder than a whisper; he then said, "The morgue."

A chuckle.

A punch hit Pein straight in the face against the nose and he gasped. His ears began ringing, the noise of the men fading to the background as he couldn't make out their words anymore. Sharp pain pierced through his stomach and legs. He kept struggling even when he didn't dare opening his eyes anymore. A ribbon of blood trailed from his nose to his lips and dripped on the ground.

Unexpectedly one of his arms was freed and in a second the other one, too. He fell on his knees and hands on the ground, right in front of the Hispanic guy. He gasped and coughed up blood, trying to catch his breath.

There were two gunshots and when he looked up he could see the guys fleeing. A supportive hand helped him up and, seeing as he was about to collapse, put the arm over his neck so Pein's body weight was mostly on him.

"You okay?" Sasori asked, his voice clouded by frustration and anger.

"Never better," Pein replied, coughing again. "Whose gun was that?"

"Mine. Shot two in the air. Bastards fled like puppies."

Pein was coughing again.

"Do you have a car nearby? We gotta get you out of here."

"No, I came by motorcycle."

Sasori cussed. He moved his friend to the shadow of the bar, out of sight just in case, and sat him down before getting his phone out.

"Who're you calling?" Pein asked arduously, trying to find a better position to sit in.

"Zetsu," Sasori muttered. "We need to call them in for a meeting."

Pein paled. He sensed where this was going. He had already figured out who the bastards had been talking about the guy Konan had knocked off. Guess he'd belonged to a gang that now assumed the Akatsuki was behind it. _Of all the shit he went through for women... _

But the others didn't know about Konan's doings and they would want to find the real killer to clear their own name. Sooner or later Pein would be facing the choice between lying to the guys or selling Konan out. Bros vs hoes. The same situation Sasori had been in a year ago. Oh how he wished he wouldn't have been such a dick to Sasori then, that he would have been more understanding, so that now he would have the moral right to ask for the same. Unfortunately, considering how he'd acted then, he deserved to be kicked out and beheaded for hoping for understanding.

Oh God, he was a mess.

Hidan came soon and picked them up. Kakuzu was with him and had come along to take Pein's motorcycle back to school. They were supposed meet up in Pein's room.

Pein lay down on his bed, a bag of ice on his face and stomach, while everyone gathered there. Tobi and Zetsu had already been waiting, Sasori had called Deidara and he showed up, too. Itachi and Kisame had taken a bit longer. Kakuzu arrived 5 minutes after Hidan, Sasori and Pein.

Sasori quickly gave everyone a brief overview of what had happened.

"Who were they?" Zetsu asked in an official tone characteristic only to him, "did you recognize them?"

Sasori shook his head. "First time seeing them."

"Pein?" Zetsu asked after the other redhead had remained quiet.

"No," Pein muttered. Others still didn't know what the bastards had said. Not telling them would have been holding back valuable information, equal to lying. It would have betrayed the trust they had built for years. On the other hand, telling them would have meant...

"So we've got nothing so far?"

Pein needed to make up his mind now. Konan or guys, Konan or guys...

Telling them didn't mean they would necessarily let Konan go to jail, he decided. They could help her. He could convince them to help, definitely.

So the right thing to do was to...

A single knock on the door and it was opened. A head with blue hair popped in, glancing around. All nine sets of eyes were directed at her.

"Sorry," Konan apologized, regarding the crowd. "Didn't realize I was interrupting- Could I burrow Nagato for a minute or two?"

More than one eyebrow rose at the name, but no one said anything. In the end they all gazed at their leader, waiting for orders.

Pein clenched his teeth and sat up, because he refused to talk to the girl while looking like he was lying in his death bed. The motion hurt but he bore with it and removed the bag of ice from his face. His eyes met Konan's and he saw the girl's eyes widening. He sighed. This could not be good. He felt all the stress becoming too much for him and starting to weigh him down. He wished he could sleep.

"Guys, could you excuse us?" Pein asked. "It won't take long."

Konan stepped in and everyone left without a word. Deidara halted momentarily and his eyes locked onto Konan's, before he looked away and followed Sasori out. The door closed and Konan turned to look at Pein.

He was quite the sight. A bleeding nose, swollen lip and eye, redness on arms and cheek that would turn into bruises soon enough. Konan's look was glassy.

"Who did it?" she wanted to know. Her gaze was intense, taking in all the small details and examining carefully. Her tone was demanding and sharp.

Pein chuckled and cast his eyes down. He fiddled with the bag of ice in front of him, the atmosphere surrounding him light, even though the quiet laughter caused ache just below his ribs.

"Ran into a pole," he replied, casting Konan a humorous look.

This irritated the girl. "I'm not fooling around, Nagato!" she snapped.

"Are you ever?" Pein retorted.

Konan clenched her fist and punched the air. She blew out a harsh breath and started pacing around in circles in the room at a quick pace.

"Just tell me who it was," she hissed as she came to a stop. "I want a name or a description. That's it. I can get out of your hair then."

"What if I don't want you to get out of my hair?"

Konan shot him a dirty look. "Why don't you just tell me, huh?" she demanded. "Must you always be so stubborn?!"

Pein snorted. "Look who's talking." He watched the girl whirl around and head for the door, knowing his following words would stop her. "I'll trade info for a kiss."

Konan froze for a long minute. Pein noticed her fists clench and sighed silently. She was still mad. He watched her compose herself and wondered whether what he knew was worth the price he was asking. When Konan looked at him, her face was covered with disgust.

Pein clenched his teeth and stood up, trying to play down the pain the movements caused. "Look," he said, "I don't want you involving yourself in this."

"Why would I?" Konan's eyes were narrowed. "This has something to do with me, doesn't it?"

"They came for me, didn't they?"

"Then you shouldn't have any reasons for hiding their identity," Konan said, folding her arms. She looked close to tapping her foot to add emphasis.

Pein would have rubbed his eyes, hadn't it hurt. "Just promise me you won't do anything foolish." He could tell Konan was irritated by him giving orders, but he needed to. He had to gain confirmation to have at least some kind of guarantee, not matter how unreliable.

Konan heaved an impatient sigh. "I won't," she finally promised, "now tell me!"

"How can I trust you to keep your word?"

The corner of Konan's mouth twitched upwards for a split-second. "You know the answer to that, Nagato."

It was true, Pein did. Just to be on the safe side he deemed it for the best to keep his assumptions to himself. "It was a group of guys," he started, "I don't know them. The leader was some Hispanic guy. Light accent. Loud."

His eyes refocused on Konan when he realized he'd been spacing out. The girl's expression came as a surprise to him. She was as pale as a sheet, like she was suffering from injuries, not him. He stopped talking.

"D-did he have, uhm, any scars? Do you remember?" Konan was trying to sound casual by averting her eyes and forcing her tone slower than usual, but it was no use. Pein had learnt to see through that too long ago.

He tried to recall the man's profile. _Any _scars? She couldn't have been more specific? His face or what? It was clear she was expecting something specific, yet she refused to give him more details.

"No..." he mused, "his face was clear of any scars." He paused, a brief image of the man's neck flashing through his mind. "His neck, though," he murmured, sensing Konan tense, "there was a dark line running across it."

Konan had taken a step back. "It _was _them then." She gulped.

Pein grew cautious. "You know them?"

Konan had covered her mouth, her glassy eyes focusing on the floor. "I thought I didn't," she whispered. Pein caught a foreign note in her voice. Was it... _fear?_

"They've changed so much. They're not supposed to be here." Konan seemed to be talking to herself. She looked like she was about to faint. Pein stared at her intently, preparing himself to be able to react the second it was needed.

"I was right then," Konan gasped and turned on her heel. "I gotta go."

Before she could just walk out on him again and leave him staring after her like a loser, Pein grabbed her by her arm, yanking her back in front of him.

"Where are you going?" Pein demanded. "You _promised._"

"What's it to you?" Konan spat. "I can do what I want."

"Not if I can help it," Pein hissed.

"Why must you try to control my life?!" the girl shouted at the guy, her gorgeous face a grimace; wrinkled forehead, narrowed eyes, lips set in a straight, tight line.

The look was so overwhelming for Pein, he couldn't hold his thoughts just inside his head anymore. He did something that would go to the top of his list of Surprising Firsts - blurted out his thoughts in the bluntest way.

"Because I can't have anything happen to you!"

This quieted the girl. Even with all the skills Konan possessed, this had taken her by such surprise that she was at complete loss of words as she stared, startled, at the guy that was still holding onto her like a koala to a tree. After everything they'd been through, everything they'd said to each other, Konan had not imagined it coming down to this. She felt like her body was made of stone, she couldn't move, couldn't think. She was rooted to the spot. She felt numbness, bearing resemblance to the state of becoming unaware of reality. What was going on?

"Why?" she whispered, her voice lifeless. This couldn't be happening. Nagato could not be like this. It was more than Konan could bear. She couldn't get emotionally attached, the fear of it was just too great. Especially with the newly refreshed memory of what had happened years ago. She couldn't go through that again.

Pein shook his head, as if to say he didn't know. "You can keep pushing me away, that's fine. You don't have to believe a word I say," he said in a devastated tone of a voice, "I just want you to be alright."

Konan swallowed a lump in her throat, aware of her eyes becoming moist. She couldn't walk away this time; it was time for them to talk it through once and for all. How long were they going to keep playing this game? Konan had had enough.

She swallowed again and cleared her throat, so that her voice didn't waver when she said, "What if I don't want to be alright?"

"What?" Pein asked, astonished. "Why would-?"

Konan looked away. She shook off Pein's hand that had loosened around her arm and turned around, so she was facing the wall, her back on the boy.

"I've... I've hit a dead end," she summed it up. "That's pretty much it. I'm done. Fuck the world."

Pein wasn't sure what words he should have used to get an explanation out of her. He tried the simplest. "Why?"

Konan let out a bitter chuckle. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? I'm not independent. I depend on others. There's only so much I can do without them. And now I'm just planning to see how far I can go until..."

"Until?" Pein pressed through gritted teeth, although he knew what she was thinking, there was no need for her to finish. He could see it clearly in his head: Konan going after the guys because of some personal history. She knew she couldn't defeat them, but wanted to go nevertheless to find out how far she'd get on her own.

It was suicide..

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_Trying to upload from my phone for the first time. I'm in Finland so getting on a comp is a bit complicated. But i wanted to update c:_

_Sorry it's a bit short. But meh. I hope yu likey._

_Sorry for any possible typos. Ill edit when back in Estonia. Until then..._

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

The room was quiet, save for the rhythm of the pen being tapped against the table that matched the ticking of the clock. Konan's eyes momentarily flickered to the mentioned clock, checking the time. Five past nine. Hadn't she known better, she would've doubted whether it was morning or night. The room had no windows and the light was dim. The main thing that prevented confusion was Konan's knowledge that the guys in this room never did business in daytime.

"Konan, Konan, Konan," the bald man in the leather chair mused, swirling around to face her. She was standing at the other end of the long table that could have seated thirty, but seated 10 for the time being. Most of them acted as bodyguards for the old fart, but there were two in business suits that Konan didn't recognize nor did they look like bodyguards' material.

"Ibizo," Konan returned the name. "Long time no see." She did a mock salute.

Ibizo smiled. "You're all grown up. How old were you when we last saw each other? Twelve?"

"Eleven," Konan cocked her head to the side, her smile strained. "That was when you kidnapped me."

Ibizo nodded, his eyes becoming unfocused as he reminisced the memory. "So young. Yet you managed to escape. How?" His tone was genuinely curious and so was his gaze as he re-focused it on the girl.

"Trade secret, old man," she replied.

Ibizo nodded in an understanding manner. "I see," he said. "And to what, may I ask, do I own the honour of your visit? You must be a busy missy, unless you've changed professions, which I highly doubt. I hope you understand my scepticism."

"I'm certain you know my reasons to be here better than I might," she said superciliously, holding her chin up high.

He arched an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Have those been your men that my path has continuously crossed with?" Konan countered.

Ibizo chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't take the blame for every enemy of yours on this island. You've made quite a number despite the small number of years on your shoulders."

Konan's eyes narrowed at him. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her how smoothly he'd talked his way out of the question. "I'll ask it like this then - were those your men that beat up Pein of the Akatsuki yesterday?"

Ibizo's mouth formed a big O and he covered it with his hand. "Oh, you came here to pay back for your boyfriend? That's so romantic."

The two men in suits chuckled. Konan cast them a dirty look. Trying to ignore the throbbing pulse at her temple and supress the irritation, she asked calmly, "I don't recall ever referring to him as that."

Ibizo's attention was, all of a sudden, focused on his manicured nails and he rubbed one of them with this thumb as if to polish it. "No, but there's underground talk going on."

"You guys gossip like old women," Konan muttered.

"We gotta," Ibizo replied. "That's how the info goes around."

"You're avoiding the question," Konan reminded him. "Was it yours?"

Ibizo gave her a level look. A sly smile bared his yellow teeth and he snapped his fingers to the right. Instantly the closest bodyguard offered him a cigarette and lit it. Ibizo put it to his mouth and sucked in a cloud of smoke, before blowing it out.

"Always so sharp, Konan, so - determined-"

"Answer me!" Konan demanded. She was starting to lose patience with this group. She was 99% sure Ibizo had been behind it, all she needed now was his confirmation to fulfill that 1%.

Ibizo blowed out another whoosh of smoke that made the girl wrinkle her nose in disgust, but she said nothing.

"I believe Lauro had a clash with someone over a lost friend of his..."

Konan paled at the name. It had been years since she'd last heard it and the memories that flashed through her mind related to it were anything but pleasant. He was the guy that had been assigned to kidnap her.

"That someone being...?" Konan pressed.

Ibizo smiled knowingly. "Red hair, lots of piercings... I think we both know the person."

Konan growled under her breath, her heel tapping impatiently against the floor.

"Now now, Konan," Ibizo said appeasingly, "you and I both know you had more reasons than that to come here. How about getting the second part over with as well?"

Konan pulled out the chair in front of her and plopped down. She took out a revolver out, sensing all the bodyguards tense and grip their guns. Ibizo instantly raised his palms and said, "Calm down" and Konan knew that hadn't been addressed to her.

The bodyguards let go of of their firearms but remained cautios. Konan didn't let that bother her.

She flipped open the chamber to show it empty and then took a single bullet out of her pocket and held it up. "I've a proposal."

"I'm listening." Ibizo blowed out a ring of smoke. "Intently." His eyes fixed on Konan's.

"A game of russian roulette."

-x-

The room was only a few shades lighter than the one previously mentioned. The main light came from the bright computer screen and the digital clock at the lower right corner of the screen showed 8:32 PM. The sound of the fingers on the keyboard filled the air.

Pein was gazing intently at the screen, scanning the article he'd opened carefully. He'd been doing research into the guys that had beaten him up for almost two hours, with very poor results, when his phone rang.

He picked it up on the first ring.

"Pein speaking," he muttered.

"Not your fucking mom?" the voice from the other end of the line responded. "Must've dialled the wrong number." Pause. "No shit it's you, dude. That greeting is so behind the times."

"Hidan" a threatening voice could be heard not far from the guy. "Get to the point."

"You're not my fucking mom, Kakuzu!" Hidan spat at him, apparently forgetting he had a task to do.

Pein rubbed his eyes - they were tired from staring at the screen for so long. Guess he'd forgotten to blink enough times. "Hidan - what's going on?" he demanded. "If it's not important, then - I'm busy at the moment and -"

"Well, you're about to get busier, I can tell you," Hidan put in abruptly, "coz we just spotted a guy that matches exactly your description entering the same bar you went to yesterday. Kakuzu says he could be looking for you again."

This caught Pein's attention instantly. "You sure?"

"Well, he's fucking hispanic and I'll tell you, you don't see these around here too often," Hidan said. He then added, snickering, "Not that you'd know. Being still stuck in high school and all."

"Hidan," Pein warned him the same time he could hear Kakuzu chuckle as well. Being the leader of a gang with people older than him there had never been a problem for him, but now that their age gap was emphasised by him having yet to graduate, things got a bit out of control from time to time.

"Right." Hidan coughed. "You want us to catch the bastard?"

"No!" Pein answered quickly. "Negative."

Hidan sounded surprised, "What then? Just let him go? You fucking can't let a fucking chance like this just go!"

"I didn't say we would, did I?" Pein hissed through his teeth. Hidan's manners got on his nerves at times like this. You'd think being a year older would make him at least a bit more professional, but no. Hadn't it been for Kakuzu, there wouldn't have been anyone to even bother trying to keep him under control. "I want you to follow him. Enter the bar, see who he talks with and let me know when he leaves and where he's headed. He's by car, I assume?"

"Yeah, black Mustang."

"Good," Pein said. "Easier to follow." He ended the call.

He'd changed his tactics and was now browsing the archieve of old crime news to see if he got lucky. He clicked on another news article that had just come up. It was from over 6 years ago and the title read, 5th Grader kidnapped from school.

Pein quickly scanned te news for information.

Kyoko city, 5th grader from a local middle school, went missing during PE, a girl, police looking for her.

There was a photo of a smiling, young blonde girl, who apparently was the one that had been kidnapped. Pein could not tear his eyes away from her. His eyes had widened to the size of pancakes. The resemblence to Deidara was shocking. And not just Deidara, but-

Pein did some quick calculations in his head. Fifth grader meant they had to be around 11 back then and, checking the date, the article was over 6 years old, meaning the girl would have to be around 17 now - could already be 18.

Anxiousness filling him up on the inside, Pein scanned almost frantically the article for a name. Name name name... the girl...

Yuno Lee.

Fuck.

Pein scrolled back to the picture. The girl's name was Yuno. Not Konan. Not Konan Iwaga. Not even close. Pein cursed himself for getting excited so easily, thinking he was already onto something. There was no way she and Konan could be the same person. Besides, Konan and getting kidnapped-? Then again, how old has she been when she and Deidara had started this business of their anyway? This could have been a fitting beginning...

Pein looked at the girl again. He couldn't let go of the impossible-seeming resemblence.

Their ages matched.

Their eye colors matched.

And even though Konan's hair was blue, it was obvious that couldn't have been her real hair color. Considering the fact that Deidara's was light blond - the exact same shade as the girl's in the photo - and he and Konan were twins, it was almost certain Konan's real hair color was the same.

Pein decided to research further. He looked for police reports on the same subject, any kind of information on what had become of the girl, had she been found or not, but it seemed like everyone had just forgotten about her existence.

Or she'd stopped existing.

Pein did not believe in coincidences. He'd seen enough during his lifetime to know that there was a reason for everything. Sometimes it was mere luck. Other times it was two teenage twins that had entered the school under aliases.

-x-

Konan inserted the bullet into the chamber and held it out for Ibizo to see, before she gave the chamber a spin and slammed it back home.

"We are not making any bets, are we?" she asked, fidgeting with the gun.

"Aren't our lives enough for a bet?"

Konan shrugged. "Do you want to go first?" It was said smoothly and casually, but Ibizo's eyes narrowed at her like she was plotting a plan that he'd just seen through.

"Ladies first," he answered, just as casually.

Too easy to predict, Konan thought and pressed the muzzle against her temple. Taking a moment to breathe, her grip tightened around the handle and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Nothing's gonna happen, she kept repeating to herself, nothing's gonna happen.

The sound of the empty chamber clicking filled the air and Konan opened her eyes with a smile. "Your turn," she said, sliding the revolver across the table to Obizo.

The man caught it easily and popped open the chamber. Giving it a spin, he pushed it back in. Konan had counted the seconds as it spun. Her lips set in a tight line. Obizo placed the gun at his temple and-

...nothing. The chamber clicked emptily. Konan found the man's smug smile disgusting as he returned the revolver. Konan picked it up.

As the chamber spun again, Konan was counting. 5... 6... 7... It stopped. Konan winced unnoticably. Luck had never been one of her strong points. She closed her eyes and put the gun in place.

Deep breaths, she reminds herself. Deep breaths.

Just count to three.

One.

Two.

In a flash, before anyone could react to it, Konan moved and aimed the gun at Obizo. Pressing down the trigger in one sharp move, a loud gunshot pierced the silent atmosphere and Obizo fell down on the table. Blood flew on the wall behind him.

Just as Konan had flung up to make a quick escape, the door burst open. Without waiting to see who was there, Konan snapped out a small ball that she threw against the floor. Purple smoke filled the room in a split-second.

Confused noises sounded from all around her, but it was the one "the bloody fuck?" mutter in front of her that made her stop in her tracks momentarily.

Nagato?!

Being robbed of her eyesight - or to be more precise, having robbed everyone, including herself, of their eyesight - she squeezed her eyes shut to avoid irritationg and pushed with all her might against the male in front of her, forcing him to back down out of the room. She pulled the door closed and grabbed his hand, starting to run.

She didn't glance back.

"Konan?!"

"Just keep running!" she hissed.

Through hallways and down staircases, Konan didn't stop until they were outside and the door slammed shut behind them. Even then she halted only momentarily, then continued sprinting the moment she spotted her car. She opened the driver's door and climbed in. Pein followed suit without a second thought. Konan started the engine and the car veered off.

There was silence for some time. Konan eventually broke it by asking calmly, "What the hell are you smiling about?"

Pein looked at her with a genuinely happy smile. Konan's eyebrow furrowed at it. She kept glancing at him while still trying to pay enough attention to the road so they wouldn't crash.

"Seriously," she said, "spit it out. It's weirding me out."

Pein sighed silently. "You're alive. It wasn't a suicide."

"Yo no shit I'm alive. I'm driving. And what do you mean by suicide?"

"Taking all those guys on, on your own pretty much equals to suicide."

Konan's head snapped towards him. "Are you calling me weak?"

"No." Pein sighed again. "But russian roulette, really? Had you not been in such a hurry, I would be convinced you've been given up on life."

Konan shook her head. "You're an idiot." She pulled over.

She rolled down the window. Fresh air blew in, Konan greeting it with gratitude. She took a deep breath to sound calm. "I had everything under control."

Pein rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I bet you had a whole strategy to win that game without a single chance of anything going wrong."

"Yes!" Konan stressed the word, hoping he would get it. By the look on his face, the girl assumed he didn't.

"Look," she said as she took out her revolver. "I've been playing russian roulette since I was 11."

Pein's eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he knew which event she was talking about.

"I was lucky back then, of course," she continued and flipped open the chamber. She took a single bullet from her pocket and set it in the chamber. "It was actually Dei that came up with the idea" - she gave the chamber a spin and slammed it closed - "but it was I who mastered it." She put the gun at her temple and pulled the trigger.

Pein winced as the chamber clicked emptily. Konan rolled her eyes. She moved the gun and fixed her aim at the guy.

"What would you do, if I shot now?"

Pein's expression remained calm. "Just sit here."

Konan cocked her head to the side. She pulled the trigger. An empty clicking sound.

"Why wouldn't you try to save yourself?" She pointed the gun out of the window and pulled the trigger. A loud bang sounded as the bullet flew into the air.

"Sasori has a theory," Pein muttered as he bent closer slowly.

Konan stood still. "And what is that?"

"That I'm in love." Pein pressed his mouth to Konan's.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

_Oh gawd I haven't updated in forever. And this chapter DID NOT want to be written. BUT I DID IT. Much thanks to the sugar rush I had XD hence the weirdness of this chap? Anywho, FLUFF AND SMEX AND EVERYTHING NICE. YAYY~~_

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

Pein's lips moved slowly against Konan's. His hand crawled up and cupped the girl's face as she leaned into the touch. Her lips started moving, too, but it was only for a few seconds – the new best moment of Pein's life – before she broke the kiss.

"You've no idea what you're getting yourself into, you know that?" she whispered, sounding breathless. She gripped the hand that was holding her face and looked the boy deep in the eye, trying to read them like she had done with so many others. Only thing she could see was hopeless insanity.

Others might've referred to it as love.

"I'm afraid I don't care much anymore," Pein whispered back, pecking her lips gently. Her eyes closed for a second the moment their lips touched, opening again with an indecisive emotion.

"Just…" Pein trailed off. His eyes were closed and the eyelids wrinkled as his grip on Konan became tighter. "Just don't leave, okay?" he said, letting out a long breath. "I can handle everything else you throw at me. Just – stay." He opened his eyes full of hope. "Please?"

"Wouldn't you just follow, if I left?" Konan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pein shook his head slightly. "There are places I can't go to."

"Like?"

"Wherever it is that souls go after death."

Konan's eyes narrowed. "Are you talking about suicide again?"

Pein shrugged a shoulder.

Konan let out an impatient sigh and pushed away. "Oh for the love of-" She picked up the revolver and popped open the cylinder. "You see this? This is an old gun I've had for ages. Like most revolvers it has six chambers."

Pein arched an eyebrow, unsure of where this was going.

Konan gave the cylinder a spin. "You hear the clicking sound? Tic-tac-tic-tac – like a clock. Getting it?"

"Not sure…"

Konan pushed the cylinder back home and tossed the empty gun to the back of the car. "It's all maths and timing," she explained. "You need to know in which chamber exactly you put the bullet in and then you gotta count the seconds. The cylinder spins at the same speed no matter how hard you spin it. You can calculate where the filled chamber is that way."

"So basically – you always know before you pull the trigger whether you'll shoot the bullet or not?" Pein concluded.

Konan rolled her eyes. "Took you long enough to get it."

Pein didn't look convinced. "What if you mess up?"

"I don't." Konan sounded dead certain.

"But what if?" Pein pressed.

Konan sighed. "Quit the game. Kill the opponent with a gun from the purse. I'm telling you, I'm not as reckless as you make me out to be."

"Still, it sounds quite insane. And stupid"

Konan snorted. "If it looks stupid, but works, it isn't stupid."

Pein scraped a hand across his face and leaned back in his seat. "This is insanity," he muttered. He was staring at the ceiling and closed his eyes. Deep down inside he knew that it didn't matter anymore how he labelled it. Insanity or not, he was still in. _All _in.

And there was no turning back anymore.

Pein turned to the side and caught the girl's chin in his palm. His lips were soft and gentle on hers at first. His hand crawled up behind her head, drawing her closer to him until he got her to respond. When Konan started kissing back, she did it with passion. Pein could feel the weight of her thoughts in her actions and pulled harder so he got the girl on his lap eventually.

The kiss got rough when Konan wrapped her arms around the boy. She bit down on his lower lip and Pein opened his mouth for her as she slid her tongue in. In his mind Pein was cursing the girl for being such a turn-on at the most unexpected times. She'd looked so fragile just a few moments ago, and now here she was dominating him.

Pein decided that if she was going so far, so would he. His hand slid down from her head; one of them groped her ass while the other one slithered beneath her shirt.

The response was exactly what Pein had expected. Konan pressed a hand against his chest and pulled away.

"You're going to kill yourself this way, Nagato," Konan whispered, her face mere inches away from his face. "I can't do this, I-"

"Shh," Pein said as he pecked the girl's lips to quiet her. "Let's forget about it for now."

"No-"

Pein cut her off again, "Just for now? Okay?" He pecked her again.

Konan closed her eyes and mouth and shook her head slowly. "It isn't possible this way. Just one time would tie you to me and whoever was after me, would be after you, too-"

Another peck.

"We'll deal with it when the time comes. For now, just forget about it, alright?"

"But-"

Pein sighed impatiently. "Konan. Stop. Worrying. About me. Okay? I can handle myself. They didn't make a puppy the leader of the Akatsuki."

Konan was shaking her head. "You don't know. You've no idea what you're dealing with. This is more than the Akatsuki has ever been involved in-"

"_Konan_," Pein snapped, finally sounding angry. "I would die for you. Do you understand?! I've never wished for death, I want to live for as long as possible and enjoy life, but when it comes to you - I would give it all up for you."

"Nagato, I-"

Pein closed his eyes and put his forehead against the girl's. "Just this once," he whispered. "Please, forget about the world for now and just be with me. Please."

Konan swallowed. Her arms were around Pein and she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. She took a deep breath, breathing in and memorizing his scent. Her eyes were closed and she knew she was close to tears, but wouldn't cry. There was no reason to. She wouldn't.

"Alright," she whispered and pecked the boy's neck.

Pein smiled. He shifted so that he could see the girl's face and kissed her on the lips.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Konan chuckled. "So this is your idea of enjoying life? Sex in the car backseat?"

Pein laughed out loud and pulled away. He leaned back against the backrest and gave her an amused smile.

"Actually, I had something else in mind. Backseats are overrated."

-x-

The car's motor was only a silent purr as Pein drove down an almost empty road, which led out of town as far as Konan was concerned. They had visited a food store before and Pein had bought some groceries, ignoring the girl's inquiry. According to him, it was all a part of the 'plan', whose details he was not keen on sharing.

Apart from the car, there was complete silence between them.

Konan was staring out of the window, the warm breeze coming from the small opening above caressing her hair gently. It was dark outside and the stars in the night sky were clearly visible now that the city lights were gone. Konan caught herself sighing more often than usual.

"Nagato, where are we going?" she asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. Even though by now she'd come so far as to admit to herself her undeniable trust in Nagato, not knowing the destination made her anxious.

"The answer remains the same, dear," Pein murmurs, although the corner of his mouth twitches upwards in a crooked smile.

Konan sighs harshly again. "Then what's the purpose of all this? Or can't you tell me that also?"

"It's to show you what you've been missing out on," Pein said.

Konan gazed at the boy with a sceptic frown, but knew she wasn't going to get anything more out of him. She just decided to wait.

-x-

Pein pulled up in a beach parking lot and stopped the car.

"We're here," he announced and climbed out. He circled around the car to open the door for Konan, then walked to the back to get the bag with groceries and an additional bag.

Konan got out of the car, pushed the door shut and gazed around, unsure what to make of this. She could hear the sound of the sea as small waves washed the shore; there was little wind and the sea was calm. The moon was shining bright above them. Konan noticed that it was almost full moon.

Pein extended his hand towards the girl.

Konan eyed it momentarily with a frown, then looked at the guy.

Pein's smile was as dazzling as ever. "You promised," he reminded her.

She didn't argue. Taking her hand out of her pocket, she placed it on Pein's palm and felt the other's squeeze. She gave him a small smile.

"So, will you tell me know what we're going to do?" she asked as they started walking along the shore. "And what's that bag for?"

"Curious as always," Pein muttered.

"Like you'd expect anything else."

"Not really," Pein said. "But alright. I'll tell you. We are here to waste time."

Konan momentarily glanced away from Pein to look at the sea and had to take a double take at his words. "We're - what?"

"We are gonna waste time," Pein repeated almost cheerfully, the two bags swinging back and forth in his hand. "Now, _before _you say anything," he said, seeing how Konan was about to open her mouth, "tell me when was the last time you took some time off."

Konan let the index finger that she had raised fall and closed her mouth. Last time she had taken time off? Why would she need to do that? Time was precious, time was money. She didn't have enough of it to take it off!

She sensed that that was exactly the kind of answer Pein was expecting. She didn't reply and looked away in silence.

Pein smirked triumphantly. "Thought so."

"I don't see the point," Konan said. "Why _waste _time? Can you hear how negative that sounds? It's just wasteful. I've always so much to do, why should I-?"

"Because you're missing out on _life_," Pein interrupted her. "You're spending it, but not _enjoying _it. The result is the same - time is lost, only you've gained no joy from it."

"Joy…" Konan muttered looking down in front of her. Pein wasn't making much sense. Of course she _enjoyed _her life. Why else was she living it?

But it got her thinking, what exactly did she enjoy about it? There was a constant adrenaline rush, that was for sure. It was like her personal drug. She was always looking for a new dose, taking up challenges and finding new risks.

But was that all there was to it?

Her life couldn't be only about risks, could it?

Konan wasn't sure whether she wanted to admit the answer to that to herself.

Pein could see the girl was processing his words. "I'm not here to force you to change your life," Pein said slowly, letting his words sink in. "I don't wish to force you into anything. However, I do want you to know all your options. So far, you've only been introduced to one. I want you to know that's not the only way of living."

They settled down on the sandy ground after walking for a while. Pein took out a blanket from one of the bags and spread it out. They sat down on it and he opened the bag of groceries.

"Chips?" he asked, taking out a bag of them from the plastic bag.

Konan rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Pein rolled his eyes also. "Alright then. Apple?"

Konan gave him a look and almost laughed. It was humorous watching someone try so hard for her. She would've felt guilty turning him down this time also, so she gave in and took the apple.

"Thanks," she said.

Pein gave a nod. He took an apple for himself and put the groceries' bag away. They ate in silence for a while, observing the waves as they neared and drew back again into the sea.

"What's your favorite season?" Pein broached as he finished eating the apple and threw the core into a nearby bush.

Konan eyed him expressionlessly for a moment, then smiled as she looked down. This wasn't going to work, she knew it wasn't. However, she couldn't help but go along when she saw the guy trying so hard.

"I like autumn," she said.

"Why?"

"Because," Konan explained, "it's the only season that's unpredictable."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Well, you see," Konan said, swallowing a bite, "every other season is so easy to foresee. Summer is the hottest, winter the coldest. In spring it's wet and muddy." Konan made a grimace. "But with autumn you never know. It could still be warm till the early winter months, or it could turn cold as soon as summer has said its goodbyes. That's why I'm fascinated by it."

"Fascinated by unpredictableness such as yourself," Pein mused.

Konan chuckled. "Not exactly. There's just too much predictability in this world. It's boring. I hate boring. Life needs to be interesting or it's not worth much."

Quick as a lightning, Pein pecked the girl on the cheek and jumped up. Konan snapped her head towards the other, only to see him on his feet already.

"Bet you didn't see that coming," Pein chuckled. "Tag, you're it."

It took Konan a second to grasp the situation. Well, she'd be damned if _that_ didn't count as unpredictable. It seemed so ridiculous, so childish…

…but that didn't stop Konan from rising to her feet and chasing after the guy. It wasn't too comfortable running on high heels, but she hardly took notice of her shoes. She followed the guy and his laughter all over the beach.

Despite herself she caught herself chuckling, too, as she was forced to come to a sudden halt and change directions, because that was what Pein had done.

"You can run, but you can't hide, Nagato!"

Pein took that as a challenge. He slowed down a bit, leaving only about 5 meters of distance between them, before taking off again, this time into the sea. The water was still warm from the day and didn't bother the guy, however he was curious to find out how Konan felt about it.

Glancing back he saw that the girl was following him without a second thought. _You can run, but you can't hide. _Pein continued deeper into the water.

-x-

"A room for two, please," Pein said to the dumbfounded clerk at a hotel, who was staring with wide eyes at the guy's wet clothes and the girl who was soaked to the bone next to him. "For one night."

"R-right away," the clerk said, tearing her gaze away and opening a drawer full of papers. She placed a blank form in front of him and handed him a pen.

Pein took the pen and asked, "Could the lady get the key already?" He motioned towards Konan. "It'll take me a bit to fill this in, but, as you can see, she's quite freezing and-"

"Of course," the clerk said and handed the blue-haired girl the room key. Konan was expressionless and didn't show gratitude in any way. Without waiting for permission, she was already climbing up the stairs, hearing the woman shout "Room 408!" after her.

_Nagato, you had this all planned out, I'm sure of it, _she growled under her breath. In the sea she had caught up with him as soon as he'd reached deep enough for the water to slow him down notably. The moment she'd been ready to tag him back, he'd reached out also and pushed her down into the water, diving after her. They'd had a water fight and Konan had to admit that was one of the dumbest things she'd ever done. Yet she'd liked it. And even now that she was walking to their room, soaked to the bone, with no other clothes to change into, she was smiling.

When Pein entered the room, he found Konan lying under the sheets in bed, seemingly asleep. Her clothes were spread out on the floor and Pein smirked when he caught sight of a specific item lying among the others.

He peeled off his own clothes and set them among Konan's. He walked to the bed and raised the sheet a bit to climb under, catching sight of the girl's naked flesh.

A low growl could be heard from the seemingly asleep figure.

"You had it all planned out."

Pein chuckled and climbed under the sheets. "Maybe. But you can't deny it being an ingenious plan." He propped himself up on his elbow and eyed the girl with a bemused expression.

She remained with her back on him.

"On the contrary it was a child's play. It was so ridiculous, I couldn't see through it."

"But wasn't that what you were so fascinated by?" Pein purred, running a finger down the girl's arm and then up again. The touch was electrifying. "Unpredictability?"

Konan turned onto her back and glared at him. She was frowning, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. The latter were aflame with passion.

"Perhaps it was," she muttered, her eyes lingering on Pein's for a while, before running down to his lips.

The boy took notice and, without a second thought, connected their lips in a chase kiss.

Konan's hand crawled up behind his neck to pull him closer. Pein shifted his body so that he was hovering over the girl and pushed the sheets away. His tongue slid into her mouth to play with practiced skillfulness and her nails digging into his back let him know that he was doing a great job.

As his lips were on her neck, his hand was caressing her body and moved down from her shoulder to rub her boob. Her nipple turned hard as he continued teasing it and a bright red mark was left on her neck by his lips.

"N-nagato," Konan breathed heavily beneath him and he removed his lips from her skin momentarily to give her a soothing look.

"It's alright. Everything's alright, babe," he said and kissed her on her lips again. She kissed back and let him in again, their tongues playing hungrily the well-known game. "I love you."

After putting on the condom, Pein slid into Konan slowly, her gasp echoing in the room. He kissed her to silence her and continued kissing her mouth, her neck, her chin, neck and torso as he rocked in and out rhythmically.

"You've no idea how long I've been waiting for this," Pein breathed against her skin, listening to the quiet moans she emits.

"I - love you, N-nagato," she whispered as their lips connected again.

-x-

It was 4AM when Konan was woken up by the vibrating of her cell phone on the night stand. Moving out of Pein's arms, careful to not wake him, she got out of bed, took the phone and hurried to the bathroom. She closed the door to block the sound and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Konaaaan," her name was drawled into a long vowel and the girl could feel the hairs on her skin bristle at the sound of that voice. She knew it, she was familiar with it, even though the last time she'd heard it had been years and years ago.

"What do you want, Lauro?" she hissed.

"Oh, you still recognize me after all those years? How heartwarming." The male snickered. "I must've left quite an impression."

"Get to the point."

"The point, the point, the point… if you insist," he finally said. "You've got yourself in quite deep shit, missy. Of course, _I _would forgive you. For the sake of old times and all that. But you see, my friends and Ibizo's followers are not quite as fond of you as I am…"

"If harming me was in your capability, I think I'd already be dead," Konan said confidently.

The guy's laughter made her tense.

"That's the thing, my dearest Kon-Kon. We're not aiming at you anymore."

Konan's grasp on her cell phone tightened as she began to realize where he was headed. "What do you mean?" Not aiming at her anymore… they hadn't been able to touch her so far. But there was someone they had gotten their hands on… someone…

"The best way of taking down a monster is removing its head, yes? That's how we've decided to approach the Akatsuki also."

Konan had known his words before he'd even said them.

Pein. They were targeting Pein.

There was silence between them.

"You can't protect yourself and him," Lauro eventually said what Konan deep inside already knew. "We've reached him once, we can do it again."

Konan had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from shrieking.

There had to be a way out of this, she knew there had to be a way.

_Think, Konan, think, _she told herself, processing everything she just heard at record speed. _He's giving you facts, driving you into a corner, threatening you - but not doing anything yet. That's it. He wants something._

"What do you want?!" Konan demanded, trying her best to keep her calm while her whole body was already shaking; partly from cold, mostly from the reality.

"Aah, backing down as I can see," Lauro mused. "Wise choice. And it isn't much, really. Just one little thing."

There was a pause while he was waiting for Konan to ask again, but instead she was counting seconds. At the count of 34, Lauro sighed harshly, giving up.

"We want you to go to the police yourself and confess, Konan."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	15. Chapter 15

_Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching the end of this story. The next chapter will already be an epilogue. Thank you everyone for bearing with me through this loooong journey and I hope it was an enjoyable one for you ^-^_

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

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><p>Asleep Pein reached out into empty space as the spot next to him in bed had become unoccupied. The warmth was gone, but that didn't wake the boy up before he rolled over onto his stomach and discovered that instead of hitting against another body, he was spread out under the sheets naked alone.<p>

His eyes flew open and he propped himself up on his elbows, glancing around in the room. It looked empty.

"Konan?" he called out and sat up. He stood up and glanced down on the floor where their clothes used to lay; now there were only his. Hurriedly he put on his boxers and went to check the bathroom, only to find it empty.

"Konan?!" he shouted, even though it was obvious he was alone in the hotel room. He pulled on his jeans that had dried off during the night and ran out of the room into the hallway. "KONAN?!" he shouted frantically, hands in fists and ready to punch something. "KONAN?! Goddammit where are you?!" He was cursing as he looked both left and right in the empty hallway. He scraped his red hair back in frustration.

_She couldn't have just left._

Except she had.

"_Fuck,_" he cursed and punched the wall. His thoughts were racing and it felt like they were going to be the end of him. He couldn't believe after everything he'd done, after everything _they'd_ been through, she had still just up and left. _Even after last night…_

He punched the wall again.

_FUCK._

_WASN'T ANYTHING GOOD ENOUGH FOR THAT CHICK?!_

"FUCK," he shouted and kept punching the wall with his fist until his knuckles were bleeding.

_I'm going to find you, Konan, _he swore with his last punch.

Another door in the hallway was opened and an irate man in his twenties stepped out, dressed only in his underwear.

"You mind keeping it down, pal?" he said belligerently, looking like a bear awoken early from hibernation.

Pein turned around swiftly, glaring at the guy with wild eyes that intimidated the latter a bit. He raised his bleeding fist and took a pugnacious step towards the guy.

"You've got something to say, dolly?" he sneered. The guy took a tentative step back.

"Chillax, dude, some of us are trying to sleep-"

"_Fuck _you and your sleep!" Pein shouted, flipping the guy off. He turned on his heel and marched back to his room, slamming the door closed after himself with a loud bang. Proceeding forwards, he was about to kick the first thing in his way. which happened to be the night stand, when he noticed the piece of paper on it. He picked it up.

_Nagato, _it read in beautiful calligraphy, _thank you for the best evening and night of my life. Not only that, but thank you for everything. Never will I forget it. I'll cherish it forever. Unfortunately, as faith has had it, our paths aren't meant to stay intertwined. My path is leading me away, while yours, hopefully, will lead you to graduation and towards the wonderful life you deserve. _

_I just want you to know that I wish the best for you in life. Keep looking and you'll eventually find your soulmate, someone who connects to you on a level no one else can understand, someone definitely better than me. Just try not to look too hard, alright? You'll end up with STD. _

_I'm sorry I couldn't stay long enough to say goodbye. I just thought that it would be easier this way. I know you'd try to hold me back - don't deny it, I know you - and I couldn't have my departure made any harder than it already is. I'm sorry._

_Have a wonderful life. The right one will come along soon enough. I'll always remember you._

_I love you._

_Konan_

-x-

A car was speeding on the highway. It had crossed the speed limit by a dozen miles, increasing the speed even more the moment another car got in the way. Changing lanes, every new vehicle got passed and the car in the centre of our attention drove on.

The letter lay crumpled up in the passenger seat while the driver was gripping the wheel so hard it could've easily broken. He was gritting his teeth, fierce gaze set directly on the road, and grounded the gas petal at the sight of another car.

Pein knew the letter by heart by now. Or rather the voices in his head did, for they kept repeating the lines to him over and over, driving his patience to its limit. A low growl escaped from his lips.

He already had a comeback for every single word in the letter and was going to make sure those comebacks made it to their rightful receiver.

_Thank you for everything… _

What exactly had Pein done? Had he changed anything for her? Made anything better in her life? Left an impression? The desire to find that out was almost unbearable.

_As faith has had it, our paths aren't meant to stay intertwined…_

Who the fuck was Faith and where could he find him to murder that bastard?

_My path is leading me away…_

Where?!

_...wonderful life you deserve._

The fuck did he deserve? He was the leader of a criminal gang, for fuck's sake! He deserved prison.

_...I wish you the best in life._

Obviously not, since she's leaving him.

_Keep looking and you'll find your soulmate…_

HE HAD ALREADY FOUND HER.

..._someone who connects to you on a level no one else can understand…_

Konan understood him better than he understood himself.

_...someone definitely better than me._

Lies. All lies. There had never been and never would be anyone who could get so close to Pein as Konan had. No one to understand him better. And he was _not _going to let the single best thing that had ever happened to him go so easily.

Pein grounded the gas pedal once more.

-x-

Once at school, Pein headed straight to the girls' dormitory, ignoring everyone's greetings and where-have-you-beens. He grabbed the handle on Konan's dorm room and jerked it down with full force, but the door was locked and didn't open. That, however, did not stop the male from trying again repeatedly, until the rage inside him made him snap and kick the wooden surface with his foot.

"For _fuck's _sake!"

He rapped the door with his fist until a loud slam against the door from the other side made him pause. He could hear the key being turned in the keyhole and his heart skipped beats as he waited for the door to be opened.

Was Konan really still there?

For a moment he felt light as a feather, replete with hope, but it all died and he was brought down to Earth, heavy as a rock when instead of blue strands he adored, hair of pink color appeared from behind the door, with a very scornful face to accompany it.

There was a second of silence between the two while their eyes connected, before Tayuya burst out, "Bastard, DO YOU KNOW THE FUCKING TIME-"

But Pein didn't have the patience to listen. He cut the girl off abruptly by pushing her aside and barging into the room, scanning the room for signs of his lost girl. But mere seconds in the room were enough to convince him of what he himself deep inside had long ago known.

Konan never did a job halfway. If she started, she would go full way until it was completely done, leaving nothing unnoticed. And it wasn't surprising that when she said she was going to disappear, she would do so without living a single trace of herself behind. Pein should have known that and not gotten his hopes up. After all, disappearing was what the girl specialized in. It wouldn't be surprising - rather it was more than likely that she was getting a new passport done already.

The room on Konan's side was completely clean. The bed sheets had been put away, bookshelves and desk were empty, and Pein was sure should he have opened any drawers, he would find them the same way they had been before she had entered this school also.

Pein could feel his heart sink a couple of miles.

A smack caught him at the back of his head.

"You're the second person to barge in like they fucking owned the place, it isn't even fucking _9AM_ yet, and you've even less liberty in this room than the last person did. Give me one damn reason why I shouldn't fucking-"

Pein swirled around to face Tayuya and cut her off once more by grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking them slightly. "Tayuya, do - you - _know _- where she went?!"

Tayuya scoffed and batted his hands away, stepping back. "Like hell I know! What am I, her fucking babysitter?"

Pein scraped his hair back in frustration and looked around again. His eyes felt itchy and head was a mess, thoughts racing and speeding through his mind like on the Olympics, yet none staying around long enough to be of any help.

Tayuya, taken aback a bit by the guy's obvious desperation, softened. She turned her head away awkwardly and muttered, "You could ask that blonde twin of hers. Deidara - or whatever his fucking name was…"

Pein looked at the girl with wide eyes, like she'd just opened his eyes to something new and extraordinary, and sucked in a breath.

He was out of the room in an eyeblink.

-x-

Deidara was currently curled up in Sasori's arms in his own bed, still asleep. The numbers on the digital clock on the nightstand had yet to pass 9AM when Pein barged in through the unlocked door. Deidara, still not fully alienated from his quick reflexes, was up in a flash.

"Pein?" he said, confused. "What the hell? Where's the fire?"

Sasori, not so used to waking up at the speed of a gunshot, turned onto his stomach and, hand around the blond's waist, tried to pull him back down, muttering, "No, Dei - too early for blowing things up. Fire after noon, remember?"

"Deidara, do you know where your sister is?" Pein demanded.

The blond raised his eyebrows. "Should I?"

Pein let out a growling sound and scraped a hand across his face. He plopped down on Sasori's empty bed, burying his face in his hands. He did not have a single clue as to what to do anymore.

"Pein, what's wrong?" Deidara asked carefully, getting up from bed. He was dressed in boxers and a T-shirt, fortunately. He went and sat down besides the boy, eyeing him warily.

Pein blew out a breath. His voice was quivering as he spoke, "Konan left."

Deidara couldn't stop a snort. "So? Nothing new."

Pein shook his head and the motion grew violent as Deidara wasn't catching up on the chaos that had broken aloose in Pein's head. His nails dug into his skin and he kept shaking his head, repeating, "No, no, _NO._"

"What?!" Deidara demanded.

Sasori had gotten up too and was now sitting up, observing the other two vigilantly.

"What's going on?" he asked in a nonchalant tone of voice.

Deidara shrugged at him and directed his gaze back at Pein, waiting for him to enlighten them on the subject.

"Konan didn't just leave," Pein started with slight tremble. "She left for _good_. Even cleaned up her damn room. Nothing's left."

"Why would she do that?" Sasori inquired, while Deidara remained in silent thought. "Do you have any idea?" the redhead asked Pein.

Pein did a vague shaking motion with his head.

"Did she call or something to tell you?" Sasori inquired further.

Pein continuously shook his head. "Left a note."

"Is there anything you're _forgetting _to tell us?" Deidara asked with a hint of sharpness to his tone. He observed Pein closely.

"What do you mean, Dei?" Sasori asked.

Deidara's eyes remained on Pein who now seemed affected by discomfort and was avoiding the others' gazes.

"Konan wouldn't have left, hadn't she sensed danger. Hence, she's taken up her old shenanigans again," Deidara explained. "I haven't talked to her in a while. By the amount of time you two have been spending together and the fact that you were the only one she informed, I presume you know something we don't."

Sasori's eyebrows rose as he eyes his friend with moderate suspicion. He would have never doubted the latter of keeping secrets from him. However, he sensed how great of an effect Konan had left on the guy, after all he'd experienced something similar himself a while ago, that he wasn't so doubtless anymore. Besides, Deidara did make an excellent point.

"Pein?"

Pein shifted on the bed uncomfortably. Reluctance to share the secret was now stronger than ever for he had little idea how the others would take it and whether they'd see it as betrayal, since he hadn't informed them sooner. He knew, though, that he did not possess much of a choice anymore and he'd have to leave himself to the others' judgement.

"Konan - killed a guy," he blurted out.

"What?!" Sasori exclaimed, losing his usual composure. Deidara's facial muscles had tensed, but he chose waiting for explanation over saying anything. He stood up and walked over to Sasori, who seemed to have taken the news worse than he had. He put a hand on his shoulder and sat down besides the redhead, eyes not leaving Pein.

The blond's touch was soothing. Sasori blew out a breath and asked in a calmer tone of voice. "Who?"

Pein shook his head. "I don't _know_," he said. "She did it in self-defense. The guy was chasing after him, but I don't know what happened between them." He finished with a sigh. Despite the extremeness of the situation, none of it actually felt off for Pein anymore. Maybe he'd just gotten used to the though. Maybe it was more than that. Truth was that all this was just - _so _- Konan.

"There's more to it, isn't there?" Deidara interrupted the momentary silence.

Pein nodded in defeat. "Whoever he was, he was friends with some people from Konan's past," he said, remembering clearly Konan's face when he had described the guys that had attacked him and how she mentioned, how much they had changed… "But that past had to be years ago. A long time ago."

Deidara had tensed more and his hand dropped from Sasori's shoulder, but both of the other guys were too absorbed in the story to notice.

"The guys that attacked me," he said, caressing the bruise below his eye, "they were the ones. Apparently, since the Akatsuki is the only known independent gang around here, they've assumed that we are behind it all."

"And all that - you're just telling us _NOW_?!" Sasori shouted angrily and stood up, but Deidara's soothing hand replaced on his shoulder stopped him from lunging forward.

"Calm down, Sasori," the blond said, most uncharacteristically to himself. "He was protecting her. You know you would've done the same for me."

Sasori gave him a pained look. The bitter taste of betrayal had filled his mouth, but he couldn't argue against him. Of course he would have betrayed anyone for Deidara, even Pein, his closest friend. That didn't make it any easier to bear, though.

Finally, he sat down again.

"That's not all, is it?" Deidara said to Pein. "Konan wouldn't leave it like that."

Pein shook his head. "She met up with some boss guy and played a round of russian roulette with him. The guy got shot. I heard him being referred to as Ibizo."

Pein looked up from the floor for the first time in a while. "You know him, don't you, Deidara?"

Deidara averted his eyes in silence. His reluctance to speak on the subject was obvious. He didn't say anything.

Pein added in a hesitant voice, "I think he was connected to the kidnap."

Deidara's face paled in a flash and he snapped his head towards the guy with an expression of pure terror. The word 'kidnap' caught Sasori's attention, too, and his eyes shifted back and forth between the two, waiting for an explanation.

"Kidnap? What kidnap?"

"I don't think it's my turn to share the story," Pein said.

Sasori's attention shifted to the blond. "Dei? Have you been keeping something from me, too?" In spite of sounding merely surprised, the blond could sense the real depth of the emotions in the redhead. He shook his head.

"It wasn't my secret. I had little to do with it."

"Do with what?!" Sasori snapped in irritation. "Would somebody tell me or is there a specific reason I'm the only one kept in oblivion here?"

Deidara's eyes had a begging look in them when he looked at the redhead. "No, Sasori - don't be mad-" he pleaded.

Sasori was uncompromising. "Then tell - me - what kidnap you're talking about," he demanded.

Deidara saw that he had no choice. He obliged, a pained look in his eyes as he closed them. He exhaled slowly and started, "Konan isn't my sister's birth name. She used to be Yuno. Yuno Lee. Our mother kept her family name after marriage and wanted one of the kids to inherit her family name. I've always been an Iwaga, she only changed her name to it after her real name began drawing too much attention.

"At the age of 11, we were attending a music school in Kyoko when one day, Yuno was kidnapped in broad daylight. That's how it all started. Since I'd been the only witness, I was recruited by a gang that had been waiting for a chance to get back at Ibizo and his men. The man I'd seen kidnap Yuno was named Lauro, Ibizo's right hand.

"After getting Yuno back, we both worked with the gang that had recruited me for a few months until it was time for us to move. She changed her name and dyed her hair - she used to have blonde hair, longer than mine - to create a new image and not have Ibizo's men recognize her."

All three stayed silent for a bit after Deidara had finished.

Sasori was the one to break the silence this time. "So what now?"

Pein shook his head, devastated, and hid his face in his hands again. "I don't know," he muttered. "I don't fucking know."

"I think we have to wait," Deidara said in a certain tone. "There's not much else we _can _do. Konan is an expert at disappearing. If she said she was going to leave, she's probably on a plane already. I'll be on a watch out, though. She's going to leave traces eventually. News in the underworld travels faster than wildfire. I'll let you know, if I hear anything."

Pein didn't reply. He stayed motionless in the position he was in, face hidden in palms and giving no reaction.

"I'm sorry," Deidara said.

Pein stood up abruptly and left the room. The door closed behind him loudly.

"Do you think he'll get over it?" Deidara asked Sasori quietly.

The redhead bit his lower lip and shook his head wordlessly.

With eyes full of concern, Deidara looked back at the closed door and sighed.

* * *

><p><em>Stay tuned for the epic finale!<em>


	16. Epilogue

_Hello and thank you everyone that has been keeping up with this fic until now! This is the grand finale that I have to present to you - not so grand, but definitely final. _

_I am too tired to write too long of a note (it's 3AM), but the reason I've been absent so long is the novel I was writing for a competition. I finished it a few days ago, so I might be working on more ff from now on. The last two months were rather hectic due to all the writing, so my sincerest apologies to everyone whom I've abandoned on this site. I'll get back to you soon!_

_So once again, thank you everyone for reading it and I'll see you again in my other stories!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own the lyrics to the first song, they're by Rihanna._

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

_One year later_

The noise was loud as the bell rang and the metallic gates were opened with a screeching sound. An large mumbling mass shuffled in from the opening through a long, grey hallway with artificially white lighting. The group was moving in mechanical steps towards another gate, which was opened just as noisily again. The group was let through and then the gates closed again.

Standing in the midst, a girl dressed in an orange onesie that matched the rest of the crowd heaved a heavy sigh.

-x-

"_Oh mama, mama, mama - I just shot a man down._

_In central station_

_In front of a big old crowd._

_Oh why, why_

_Oh mama, mama, mama - I just shot a man down._

_In central station-"_

"YO WHITE GIRL I'VE HAD ENOUGH. SHUT YOUR MOUTH HOLE OR I'LL COME SHOVE SOMETHING INTO IT."

Konan rolled her eyes. The girl next cell always acted like she was on a period. Konan had once asked her, whether she was having incubation period. The bruise from that fight on Konan's hip still hadn't completely healed.

She sighed and quit the song. She didn't like sitting in silence like that; her thoughts always began to wander and too often did they end up at Hidden High School. And its students. One in particular.

Konan shook her head. She didn't want to go there. Not today.

The bed she was sitting on was hard, as though there was no mattress between her and the metal bed base. She shifted her weight and cringed when the motion sent a pang up her body. Deciding she had been sitting for long enough, she hopped off the bed and started walking in circles in the cell.

There was noise coming in from outside, but that didn't bother her much. If anything, she found it useful for distracting herself from the past. It was ironic, though, how much the term "past" had changed in meaning for her during her time there. A year ago - before she had been locked up in that place - she had used it to refer to her childhood, almost a decade ago. Now she used it to refer to the time a year ago.

At times she got caught up in her thoughts, she started wondering why she could not let go of it, when it was already long gone. She could never return to it. After getting out of that cell, the least she would have to do was getting herself a new identity, if not leave the country again. _Konan Iwaga_ was gone, all the people she used to know with her.

But if Konan was gone, who was she then?

The time she ended up with that question was always when she cut her train of thought off and started singing. She just did not want to think into it. It brought on emotions she did not want and feelings she wished to kill. _Nostalgia and regret_. They did nothing to help her overcome her habit of violence.

Besides, she did not need to think into it to know the truth - the truth why she could not let go of Konan Iwaga or the past.

The sole reason behind that was that, that was all she had left.

All.

She did not have a present - her pride did not allow herself to consider the time spent in prison anything more than a transition between two time periods.

As for the future - did she have one? Did she even want one? What did she want it to be like?

Those questions were the reason she was still behind those bars. There was no point in escaping, if she did not know where she was going to escape to. Those questions needed to be figured out first.

After a while, Konan could not take her own thoughts anymore and decided she needed another song to sing. Something to get her mind off the train of thought and quick.

As the past was all she could think about, the first song that came to her mind was one from the musical she had been long ago chosen to act in as Rika.

A song she never got to perform.

She took a deep breath.

"_I know you would betray me_

_I know you would let go_

_Would never let true emotions show_

_But I can't deny_

_What I feel inside_

_Can't lie to myself_

_I think you're perfect_

_Oh I - I…_

_Can't turn off my heart_

_It's being torn apart_

_Can you hear the shatter, when the pieces clatter? _

_My hate is my essence_

_My gift and my present to you_

_I hate that I love you_

_Hate that I love you…"_

That song had always been one of Konan's favorites. It was the one she could relate to the most. And now that memories were the only thing she had got left, while sitting in that cell alone as she was, it seemed to be the perfect song to sing.

"_I hate your smile_

_But it keeps me alive_

_It's like the oxygen I need to breathe._

_I may flip the bird_

_But have you ever heard_

_A heartbeat so loud?_

_This feeling will suffocate me."_

"YOU'RE BREAKING MY FUCKING HEART WITH THAT SONG JUST LIKE I'LL BE BREAKING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR BONES WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, HO."

Emitting a quiet snort at the outburst, Konan quieted and sighed again.

-x-

Konan was lying in her bed when she heard a sudden noise. She opened her eyes and saw the cell gate being opened and a man in a suit stepping in, escorted by one of the guards.

Konan sat up, eying the man warily.

"Prisoner 4509, Konan Iwaga, correct?" the man asked, reading the name off the papers in his hand.

Konan nodded. "Present."

"I have to ask you to come with me, miss," the man said.

Konan was confused. "Why?"

The look on the man's face expressed well his attitude towards unnecessary inquiry. "You have been discharged and are to be released. No more questions indispensable."

Konan followed the two men out in silence, looking stunned as she passed the cells of her fellow inmates, a few of whom showed their fists as she walked by and shouted obscenities. The girl was guided through a string of formalities. After filling out some paper work she received all the items she had, had on her when turning herself in - they were only clothes, piercings and a wallet. Inside the wallet she knew to be a key to a storage house where she had left the rest of her belongings.

It took only an hour. Before she knew it, she was already ushered out of the building and stepping into the bright sunlight that blinded her eyes momentarily. It was a warm spring afternoon and a soft breeze ruffled the girl's hair.

It felt so strange for her to be outside right then. She had not seen it coming and during that hour she had spent outside her cell, she had been given no explanations to what had happened and why she was being freed.

The building door shut behind her with a loud bang and she stepped off the porch. The large gray gates were opened for her as she walked off the prison grounds and back into the real world.

Konan stared stunned at the street in which cars roamed by in both directions, very few people passing by walking. The sudden rush of reality made her head reel and she felt like she needed to get away somewhere to collect herself.

"Still into the unpredictable, I hope."

Konan snapped her head towards the voice, discovering a familiar redhead leaning casually against the stone fence. Their eyes met for a moment.

"Hey, Konan," Pein said. "Long time no see."

The girl turned and started walking towards him, but passed the guy without a word and headed straight down the street away from the building. She did not have to glance behind her to know that he was following her.

She did not know the city well, so she kept taking random turns until she reached a park. She chose a random path and trod along it, wondering where it would lead her to, suppressing all thoughts involving the male still tracing after her like a foolishly loyal puppy.

Her arm was grabbed but she swatted the hand away and broke into a run, hearing the other quicken his pace behind her as well. She ran off the path across the large green lawn. Once again, just like that one time a year ago in a similar situation, she was put at a disadvantage due to the heels she was wearing and it did not take long for Pein to catch up with her.

Arms wrapped around Konan's waist, securing her arms against her torso. She used her foot to kick Pein off balance, but the boy did not let go of her, resulting in him landing on his arm on the ground with the girl still tightly in his embrace.

A few curse words left his mouth.

"Let me go, Nagato," Konan said.

"Not this time," the guy answered.

The girl sighed. "We are attracting unwanted attention lying awkwardly on the ground like this."

"I don't care."

"Could you sit up at least?"

Pein removed one hand from around the girl to push them into an upward position, before placing it back around the girl's torso.

"So it was you that got me out of there." It was not a question, Konan was just stating the obvious fact that she had figured out.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Figured you'd spent there enough time," Pein said. "And because I decided to follow your advice."

Konan raised an eyebrow, although the guy could not see it. "Just when did I advise you to stick your pierced nose in my business?"

"You told me to find my soulmate." The hairs on Konan's back bristled as she felt the guy press his lips against her neck, his warm breath caressing her skin. "So I did. After a year of search."

Konan was trying to push the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her out of her mind and squeezed her eyes shut, not saying anything.

"Why did you leave?"

Silence fell as Konan took her time before answering.

"I needed time alone. To think."

"What did you think about?"

"Life. Past. Present. Future and if I have one."

"Why wouldn't you have one?"

Konan did not answer.

Pein sighed. "If you left, because you felt like there was something wrong with the present, then maybe it's necessary for you to create a new one for yourself."

"How?" Konan asked and twisted her neck to look at the boy. How was she supposed to create one that she would have liked without even knowing what she liked?

Pein gave a small smile. "With me. I'll help you find your future."

His lips pressed against Konan's in a warm chaste kiss to which the girl responded very slowly.

"We'll get new identities, find a new place to live at, make a new start. We could even get legal jobs."

Konan laughed at the last part. "You make it sound so easy."

"That's how it's supposed to be."

Konan sighed. "Okay. I'm ready to give it a try." She pressed her mouth to Pein's again. This time the kiss was longer and deeper.

The sat there on the lawn for a while, Pein telling her about the graduation she had missed and events that had taken place during her absence.

After a while, Konan asked warily, "How's the Akatsuki?"

Pein caught the meaning behind her question and answered, "Deidara and Sasori went off to an overseas art college last year. They're supposed to come visit this summer."

Konan nodded her head thoughtfully. "I guess it's time for me to make a new start with Deidara as well."

"I guess it really is."

THE END


End file.
